Gems of Beacon
by tytan117
Summary: For Jade, becoming a huntress never crossed her mind. She never wielded a weapon nor fought Grimm. Yet, she now stood in the halls of Beacon Academy with her twin brother, Yu. How did she get in to one of the most prestigious Huntsmen School? Even Jade couldn't answer that question, but one thing is for sure: she had a reason to be there, one that required a great sacrifice.
1. Welcome To Beacon

Beacon Academy. The most prestigious school for huntsmen and huntresses in Vale, where students learned the skills necessary to combat the forces of darkness: the evil know as Grimm. From its alabaster gates, many had set forth and made names for themselves as defenders of the light. And throughout its history, through times of conflict and peace, it always stood proudly, unchanged and unblemished, on the edge of cliff overlooking the City of Vale.

The school was a grandeur to behold. White buildings that dotted the campus shone with a luster unbefitting their age and the verdant landscape complements the stoneworks with the music of life. At its gate, a magnificent fountain stood proudly while rings of moats surround the school. Together, they produced dancing lights on their surface from the midday sun. However, the most impressive part was the massive tower at the center, rising above all the other towers and piercing the sky. Several floating lights within poured forth a warm glow, clearly seen even in daylight, like a beacon for which the school was aptly named.

All this could be seen from an airfield a short distance from the school. Normally, this airfield would be inactive, but today that was not the case. A fleet of air carriers loomed above the black tarmac, their jet engines screaming loudly, and slowly descended one by one to designated landing zones. The reason was simple. Summer had ended and the students, both new and returning, were arriving.

One carrier touched down on the far end of the airfield - right on the edge of the cliff - and from the passenger door, Jade burst forth, taking her first look at the glory of the school. Her eyes gleamed in excitement and her raven black hair, tied in a high ponytail, bobbed in the restless wind like a dog awaiting its treat.

"Wow, it's beautiful."

It was the best way she could describe it. Her only experience with Beacon prior to today was through pictures and hologram videos that are often projected in the cities, but actually seeing the school with her own eyes had her rooted to the spot in wonder.

Wanting to take more in, she closed her eyes, tuning out all the bustle of people and the roar of the jet engines, and felt out the wind blowing past her. She held out her hand, caressing the wind through her fingertips.

"Blue. Strong and consistent," she murmured quietly. "Good wind for a good day."

While she stood there, lost in thought, other passengers began pouring from the shuttle. As they passed her, some gave her a curious look. It wasn't because she stood in the middle of the ramp nearly blocking the path, although that was part of the reason. No, it was because her attire was somewhat...unique.

She wore an exotic green dress. A one piece dress that's tight fitting from the waist up, with short sleeves and raised collars and a long flowing skirt that reaches the ankles with a large slit on the right, revealing her leg up to her upper thighs. The edges were embroidered with gold threads and many intricate floral designs raced along its full length. It was clearly a dress from the Eastern Kingdom of Mistral, not something found easily in Vale.

Unfortunately, despite being such a visible figure to others, one passenger - a girl - was completely oblivious to what was in front of her, and ran straight into Jade.

With a startled yelp, Jade collapsed to the ground, her assailant on top of her.

"Owwie…"

The other passenger moaned, her voice high and squeaky.

"Oh, I'm so sorry about that, I shouldn't be standing in front of the shuttle...," Jade tried to apologize as she turned to face the girl.

However, one look at the girl caused her to stop in surprise. But not because of the girl. It was just the way she dressed was outrageous! If Jade's dress was a compared to a pristine ocean wave, this girl's dress would be a tsunami.

It was an extravagant lavender dress full of frills, especially the skirt, which was lasciviously short and puffy. Multiple pink bows were tied around her dress and a large flowing one was tied around her waist which look conspicuously like fairy wings. It was the kind of thing you see worn by dolls instead of a human being.

This odd girl, her head still lowered, shook her head. Her hair, tied in twintails, bobbed wildly with each shake.

"No, no, no. I'm the one that should be apologizing here. Didn't mean to run into ya like that."

She lifted her gaze. However, when her eyes fell upon her, the girl suddenly froze and her eyes widened in shock.

"OOOOOHHHHHHH!"

Before Jade had time to react, the strange girl came in close, her hands clasping Jade's shoulders.

"Eh!?"

"Oh wow, it's a Mistral dress! I always wanted to see one in person! I can't believe I ran into someone wearing one in Vale of all places. And it look so CUTE on you, too! Ooouuu, the texture is soooo soft! The embroidery is beautiful. Kyaah, this is the best day ever."

The girl babbled excitedly as she ran her hands all over Jade's clothes. Jade let out a small yelp and tried to resist the girls probing, but her grip was too strong. The girl wasn't necessarily doing anything inappropriate, merely feeling the fabric on her clothes, but her closeness was something that had Jade on edge.

"Dear god Amethyst, I take my eyes off you for one second and you attack some poor, innocent girl. I thought I told you specifically not to make a scene on arrival."

A large figure appeared behind the weird girl, grasped her collar, and yanked her off Jade. While suspended in the air, the girl pouted and flailed wildly. It reminded Jade of a cat being lifted without its permission.

"I know, I know. But….but…..I can't ignore something so adorable when it's right in front of my eyes," the girl whined, still in her vulnerable position.

The man let out long sigh. He placed the girl named Amethyst on top of a pile of luggage sitting behind him. Amethyst let out a cry of indignation for being treated like cargo, but the guy ignored her and turned back to face Jade. Now that Jade got a good look a this guy, she could tell that he was at least 6 feet tall. But more than that, what stood out more was his casually worn white suit and slicked-back sky blue hair. It made him look either like a sleazy businessman or a dapper gangster. But, when paired up with the glamorously dressed girl beside him, they look like a pair of rich kids going to a ball.

"Apologies for my compatriot's….quirks. I swear she means no harm."

"Oh no, no, no. It's fine. I was just a bit shocked that's all. Anyways, this all happened because I was being careless standing in the middle of the walkway like that."

"Please, no need to apologize, Miss..."

"Jade. My name is Jade Evergreen."

"...Miss Evergreen. A lovely name, that is. But how rude of me not to introduce myself first."

The man made a grand gesture before going into a bow again.

"The name is Diamon. Diamon D. Prisma the Third. Hailing from Crystallia in Western Vale. And my friend here..."

Diamon gestured to the girl she placed on top of the luggage. She waved cheerfully at Jade.

"...she's Amethyst."

Amethyst gave Diamon a cold glare for such a dismissive introduction, but quickly returned to her normal self.

"Hello, you can call me Amy. Saying Amethyst is quite a mouthful, right? Anyways, sorry about all that, I just get REALLY excited when I see something cute."

"A trait that's been a constant headache for me," Diamon mumbled.

Amethyst gave another glare at Diamon's snarky comment, but he quickly continued speaking to avoid retaliation.

"Anyways, please allow me to assist you as apology for my companion's overzealousness. It is unbecoming for a fine lady such as yourself to sit on such filthy ground."

Diamon offered his hand to help Jade up, while Amethyst, unseen by Diamon, made retching motions at Diamon's flowery words. Slightly embarrassed at his ostentatious gestures, Jade waved her hand to refuse Diamon's offer, but he insisted and reach out to grab her hand.

At that instance…

Another hand shot out and grabbed Diamon's arm tightly, stopping his advance. Diamon looked at the hand in surprise before following it up to the person it was attached to. Standing beside him was a young man with a hostile look in his eyes. His appearance was shabby. He wore a green zip up hoodie and a pair of loose light brown cargo pants. He had messy medium-long hair that draped over his face like a wet mop. His left eye was partially covered by his hair, but his right eye glowed yellowish-green as he stared hard at Diamon.

"...Excuse me, I know naught why you grabbed me so, but I politely ask you to unhand me."

Diamon accosted the shabby young man as he reciprocated with a glare of confusion and wariness. The guy managed to sneak up on him, past Amethyst too, unnoticed and grabbed him with such strength as to prevent him from moving his arm. Diamon fancied himself stronger than most, so to be able to match his own strength made him cautious.

The atmosphere grew heavy. Their deadlock glare was so fierce you can almost see sparks flying between their gazes. From a distance, it almost looked like two men locked in a fierce arm wrestling contest.

However, it was Jade that broke the tension. She quickly got up and pulled on the young man's arm.

"YU! That's enough. You're misunderstanding the situation. He was only trying to help me."

Yu looked at Jade, then back at Diamon. He slowly let go of Diamon's arm, but still glared at him full of hostility. Seeing that Yu had no intention of apologizing, Jade bowed on his behalf.

"I'm so sorry about that. This is my twin brother, Yu. He just a little protective that's all."

Now standing side by side, it was clear the two are related. They had the same fair colored skin and sported the same bone structure, high cheekbones and sharp chin. Their eyes were shiny green and complemented their raven black color. They even shared a streak of green hair along their bangs, which fell more on the right side of her head while Yu's was on the left. However, while their appearance may be similar, it cannot be said about the way they carry themselves. Jade's light, cheery mood completely juxtaposed Yu's dark and brooding one like day and night.

"Oh, is that so? Now, that I have a good look the resemblance is striking. Well, I apologize for causing some misunderstanding with your brother."

Diamon gave a short bow, which Jade embarrassingly returned. It seemed like the two were in a competition to see how many times they can bow to each other. Diamon peaked at Yu as he raised his posture, who gazed at him with wary aloofness . His rude attitude somewhat annoyed Diamon, but he didn't voice it any further as to not cause more trouble for Jade.

A short awkward silence followed. Unable to bear with the current situation any longer, Diamon took a look at his watch on his wrist.

"Well, as much as we love to chat further, Amethyst and I have exorbitant amount of luggage to deal with so we must bid you farewell."

He makes a gesture as if tipping off his hat.

"Ms. Evergreen."

He then looks at Yu, still keeping his watchful gaze on him, and cleared his throat before turning back to his luggage. Amethyst had already gotten her stuff and the two made their way towards the school.

Jade, a bright smile on her face, waved them off as they walked down the large boulevard. Once they were mixed with the crowd, her shoulder drooped as if a huge weight was placed on them and she let out a depressed sigh. Her first interaction with new people at a new place. Her first chance for friends, ruined.

"Great, my first day at Beacon and it's already going poorly."

Yu, ignoring Jade's lamentation, grabbed his bag and started heading towards the school. However, as he passed his sister, she grabbed him by the sleeves.

"Hey, don't walk away like this isn't your fault."

Yu peered back at her, his expression completely neutral.

"Sorry… out of instinct," he mumbled before continuing on his way.

His actions were curt and dismissive. To anyone, it was blatantly obvious how insincere he sounded. However, Jade didn't mind at all. She was used to it. She knew, more than anyone else, that this was just the way he talked. It was the same way he always talked to her for the last two years. Ever since they reunited…

Jade shook her head violently, getting rid of the welling emotions that were about to surface. This was no time to get melancholy. It was the start of a new year at a new school. The start to her new life. Slapping her to calm herself down, she hurried forward to catch up to Yu.

Together, they traded the black asphalt of the airfield for the smooth stone boulevard that led to the school entrance. Yu walked ahead of Jade, his gaze fixed straight and his gait purposeful. Meanwhile, Jade followed behind, her eyes darting left and right to take as much of the scenery as she can.

The road they walk on was wide. Wide enough to support the large number of students with their variety of luggage and still have a decent amount of breathing space. Along the edge of the road on either side, tall elegant lamp post sat at uniform distance from each other all the way to the school. As it is midday, these lamp were unlit and serve more as decorative pieces than functional tools. Beyond them, stood a large verdant lawn dotted with trees and shrubbery.

This place would probably look spectacular at night, Jade thought. She tried imagine it. Warm yellow orbs illuminating the darkness as they directed people to the castle-like school, which in turn, was lit brightly against the dark blue backdrop that is the night. Overhead, thousands of stars twinkle brightly, adding brilliance to the already perfect image. It was like something out of a fairy tale.

However, before she can daydream further, she noticed they already arrived at the fountain in front of the school. An impatient Yu was standing beside the fountain, suggesting that she had walk slower than she thought. But there was still more that she want to see.

Looking around to see any other sights to explore, Jade noticed a field of tightly packed trees, their leaves bright orange in the autumn air, surrounding the outer wall of the school. During their walk towards the school, the trees were sparse and widely space, giving the feeling of a open lawn perfect for a picnic. However, here the trees here were packed like a wall, hiding whatever may be within. It gave off a mysterious and somewhat spooky vibe. A perfect place to check out.

Luckily, there seem to be a small dirt path leading into this small forest.

Jade quickly rushed over to Yu and pointed at the path she found.

"Hey, why don't we take a small detour?".

Yu looked at where she was pointing then shot her a glance as if she was talking nonsense.

"Come on. There is still some time before the opening ceremony and I want to look around for a bit. Besides, you owe me for causing a scene earlier."

Yu just stared at his sister for a moment before rolling his eyes. There was no need for words. Jade had grown accustomed to her brother's many body motions to understand she had his approval. Well, disgruntled approval, but it's not like he enthusiastically agrees to anything Jade does. Or anyone else for that matter.

Clapping her hands, Jade rushed towards the mysterious woods, dragging his brother along.

As they enter the thicket, the atmosphere changed drastically. The bright sunny day was replaced by shady blanket of leaves with only pockets of bright light piercing the canvas. The bustle of students was replaced by the song of birds and swaying foliage. It's as if they were transported to a different world.

A short distance later, the thicket of trees opened up to reveal a small grassy clearing with an assortment of different types trees along the edge, each with their own color of leaves ranging from golden brown to mellow red. Their leaves were also scattered across the grassy ground and more followed, rocking back and forth with the wind current as they slowly drift to the ground where they rest with their brethrens.

"It's so beautiful! I can't believe such a place exist here."

Jade held out her hands, feeling the wind brush against her skin. As if in response, a small gust swirled around her.

"The wind. It's so lively hear. Oh how it reminds me of the forest back in Mistral. It just makes me want to dance like the good old day!"

With a giggle, she skipped merrily across the grass, humming a soft tune while twirling with the rhythm. The leaves gently flutter as she pass by and formed a trail in her wake.

However, not everyone in this secret garden was amused.

Yu, who was leaning against a tree at the edge of the garden, stared intently at his sister, a furrow on his brow. There was something he was meaning to ask her for a while, but they were so busy moving from Mistral to Vale, he had put it off. However, watching her skip across the grass, it reminded him what was on his mind.

"Hey, Jade…."

Jade froze in the middle of her dance, somewhat shocked that Yu tried to start a conversation.

"Yes? What is it?"

"Are you sure this is what you want?"

Without any context, Yu's word could mean anything, but Jade immediately understood what he was asking. In fact, it was something that she was expected Yu to confront her about ever since they left for Beacon.

This was about her dancing. About why she suddenly ended her prospering career as a dancer to become a huntress.

"Yes. I've told you many times before. This is what I've decided and I am going to stick to it."

"But why? You had everything you wanted. Fame. Success. Going to that performing art school you always wanted to go. Why give it up for this?"

Yu's eye narrowed as he tried to pry into his sister's reasoning. Jade lowered her gaze to avoid Yu's and didn't answer immediately.

"Was it because the Grimm... destroyed our home?"

Jade froze. Hearing the word "Grimm" caused her heart to skip a beat. Not because it meant anything to her, but hearing her brother mentioning it. She peered at her brother, to see hints of pain and anger within his bright green eyes. It was enough to cause her chest to tighten, reminding her of times she would rather forget. She grabbed her chest to calm the welling emotions.

"If it is, I suggest you stop. This is not your fight. You have no reason give up everything for this."

"No...that's not it…" Jade muttered, unable to say anything else.

She had no answer for Yu. Everything he said was right. It was true that she had a happy life as a dancer before becoming a huntress. Not just a dancer, but a well known one with several large performance under her belt. There was no reason for her to change profession just because her home was destroyed. It's common occurrence, especially in the frontier. Whether it be from Grimm, bandits, or even natural disasters, villages life can be fleeting. Like footprints where beach meets ocean. One moment it's there, the next, washed away. We mourn, we rebuild, we forget. All the while praying we aren't so unfortunate that it happens again. But Jade didn't throw everything away just because her home was gone. No, there was a reason why she did it, but it was complicated and she couldn't find the right words to express it.

Seeing her sister in panic, Yu sighed and decide not to pursue any further. He knew she was hiding something, but despite his previous hostility, he trusted her enough not to pry any further. He may be abrasive, but can be sensitive at times, especially for his sister. If she is uncomfortable telling him everything, he can wait.

"Forget it. It's not like I'm dying to know why. I just need to know if you can handle your own in a fight. I don't want to be dragged back because of your incompetence."

Jade sighed in relief that he dropped the conversation. However, it's not as if she doesn't want to tell him, she just wanted to find the right time. With a shake of her head, she got rid of any lingering thought on the matter and returned to her usual cheerful self.

"Wow, that is a rather harsh thing to say to your OLDER sister."

Yu huffed and looked away angrily.

"Just because you were born 30 minutes earlier.." he mutter under his breath.

Jade let out a giggle. Sometimes, Yu can be adorable under that scowl.

"If you don't trust my skills, why don't I show you the fruit of my training?"

She reached behind her, where a black lacquer case hung on the small of her back. From it, she withdrew two oblong wooden rod from it. With a flick of her wrists, the rods in both hands unfurled into green hand fans. From a glance, these fans don't appear extraordinary. Other than the intricate designs on the thick paper, it was just a pair of normal wooden fans one would find in an antique shop.

"Are those...your weapons?" Yu asked, befuddled at such flimsy tools.

Jade shook her head.

"Nope. These are just my practice fans. I use these whenever I try out a new move."

She ran her fingers across the smooth lacquer finish, examining the craftsmanship and reminiscing.

"It's also a reminder of my past, I guess…"

She pointed to another part of the holster on her back. There was another compartment to it, where the green metallic frame of another set of fans were neatly tucked.

"These are the real deal. I'll use them for combat. But for now these will do. I may not know how to fight, who says dancing can't be used for the same purpose. Watch and see what I have been practicing for this past year."

With that, Jade confidently strode to the center of the field, the fans unfurled. Once she found her positioning, she spread her arms wide and closed her eyes, concentrating on the movement of the wind. The wind had shifted during the time they enter this little grove so she evaluated the flow to adjust the centerpiece of her showcase: her semblance.

"A gentle, kind breeze…" she muttered under her breath. "Perfect."

She soft glow emanate from her. At first, nothing happened. But soon, there was a perceivable change to the environment. It started with a moment of stillness, where the wind hushed and the surrounding went quite. Then, little by little, the wind start to pick up, swirling around Jade like a vortex. The orange leaves, silently resting on the grass earlier, were drawn to the wind and slowly began shuffling along, forming a ring around her.

Her semblance was the power to control wind. Sadly, it was not a particularly powerful skill compared to most. At her max power, she can only create an intense gust that cause people to stumble or generate a flow that can lift small objects. However, it was all she needed. Ever since she began dancing, she had always used her wind to create breathtaking effects and dazzling spectacles. To her, the quality was more important than the quantity. And that prowess she honed for years was what she was displaying.

Once the wind was stabilizing, Jade formed a pose resembling a banzai tree, her legs entwined and her arms outstretched. Then, slowly, her arms began to move, tracing a small pattern in the air. The wind followed her movement and the leaves quivered in anticipation for the next move.

She suddenly stopped and the wind pulsed in confusion. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked at the empty field. But it wasn't empty to her. In front of her, was concert hall, brimming with seats filled with watchers. And she...she stood on the grand stage, the center of attention. A smile crept up her lips...

...And her arm violently swung down.

There was a rush of wind and the leaves scattered wildly into the air like confetti before slowly fluttering down to the ground. But Jade won't let them. Instead, she lifted herself from her crouch and slowly, but boldly, walking forward while moving her fans in intricate patterns. The leaves, picking up these movements, followed like ducklings to their mother. First, they were following her hand movements, but then Jade began twirling and the leaves starting twisting, creating double helix patterns in her wake.

Yu watched this from his spot at the edge, unamused. He had seen this before, at least something similar. Jade was performing a dance like one she had done on stage years ago. While it was a good show of her finesse in controlling her semblance, Yu cannot fathom how this dance can even be considered practical in combat.

Her dance started to picked up. Her movements became more wild. And the leaves swarmed around her like a hive of angry bees. Then, with a running start, she suddenly jumped into the air. She spun as she rose, bringing her arms close like a figure skater. Once she reached the apex, her arms spread out wide like a majestic crane spreading its wings and the leaves shot like darts into the soft soil, some sticking upright upon impact. She landed gracefully and swivelled on her legs. It's now the 2nd movement of the dance.

Jade's eyes dart rapidly, taking account of the remainder of the leaves which now fluttered in front of her. She then dashed towards the leaves, her fan sliced through the air like blades cutting the wind. One. Two. Three. Four. Four leaves suddenly separated from the pack, cleanly bifurcated down the stem. But she didn't stop there. She fanned her right hand, calling upon her semblance of wind again, and formed a small tornado that swallowed the remainder of the leaves. The swirling leaves then took a form resembling a bipedal creation.

Jade swivelled again and rushed at her creation. Fast as lightning, she passed through the mass of wind several times, her fans forming crescent moons as they cut through the storm. To an audience, it was hard to tell whether she was attacking or dancing with the storm of leaves. If anything, it was both. Her fan movement was entrusted with such elegance and intensity that it was hard to distinguish animosity and tenderness from them. Regardless, with each pass, more leaves fell from the tornado, cut cleanly like their brethrens before.

The tornado soon started thinning out, signalling the third and final movement of her dance. With a sweeping motion, Jade dispersed the dying tornado and the remainder of the leaves, now quantifiable on two hands, fluttered wildly through the air. She then channeled the wind around her and leapt into the air. She spun as she rose and the wind corkscrewed along with her. At the pinnacle, she seemed to float there gracefully for a second, her expression serene and her posture calm, like an angel looking down upon the Earth. But as gravity began pulling her back to Earth, her expression changed. With furrowed brow and focused eyes, she threw both of her fans at the descending leaves. Her fans, spinning so fast that they were indistinguishable from a green disk, made a fwoo sound as they propelled forward assisted by the wind. They cut through the last of the leaves before crossing each other and the making a wide circle as they boomerang back to Jade. Meanwhile, Jade landed on the soft soil and went into a forward roll to absorb the rest of her downward momentum. Completing the roll on her knees, she raise both of her hands, palms open, and caught the returning fans. Still kneeling, and using adept footwork, she made one final spin before making one final pose, ending her dance.

There was a moment of silence. Then, the trees behind her, purely by coincidence, rustled loudly as if they were applauding her performance. This brought a smile to Jade's lips, as it reminded her how much fun she had back in the old days, dancing in front of the large audience. Hearing the thundering applause at the end…

Suddenly, a real set applause can be heard from within the trees, startling both Jade and Yu. They turned their heads to face the direction of the sound and out from the trees walked two figures. More specifically, two girls, one of shorter than average height and the other a lanky girl wearing eyeglasses.

"That was splendid! An amazing dance! Edge of my seat the whole time! 10 out of 10!"

This stream of compliment came from the shorter of the two girls, who also happen to be the one clapping earlier.

Upon realizing others had witness her dance, Jade's face was flushed in embarrassment. It was one of her odd quirks. She may appear confident and tough on stage, but the moment she steps off, she can become quiet shy to the stare of strangers.

"Oh, thank...you. Ummm… how long have you been watching?" Jade said quietly with an embarrassed laugh.

The short girl place a finger on her temples and shut her eyes tight, as if thinking hard. Then, after a moment of revelation, she spoke.

"Since right before you started dancing! Hahaha."

The girl started laughing loudly as if she told some funny joke.

Incidentally, these two girls looked different from the other students at the school. They wore formal uniforms. Not the ones issued by Beacon, but regal-looking ones, like military uniforms. The uniform was dark red, lined in black, and had two columns of golden buttons running down the middle. And the skirt reached just above the knee and were a mix of the same maroon and black colors of the uniform.

Furthermore, the shorter girl had a black peaked cap on top of her short flaming red hair, which complimented her overall wardrobe. On her shoulders, hung a large overcoat - perhaps a size too large for her small frame - with golden pauldrons that drapes around her like a cape.

Jade looked at Yu for some support dealing with the laughing girl before her, but all he did was shrug.

"Sorry about peaking in on your little dance. I was gonna call out to you, but when you started dancing, I just couldn't help watch. It was quite enthralling. Truly a performance worthy of the stage."

"Hahaha, thank you," Jade repeated. "By the way, who are you?"

"Oh did I not introduce myself yet? Well I probably should, shouldn't I?"

The girl ruminated for a second. Then, after coming upon with something, she point at herself haughtily.

"Behold, you stand before Joker the Ally of Justice, the Protector of the Peace, and the Guardian of the Light! I'm here to conquer this school and claim the number one spot. So you better watch out or else you'll get burned!"

"…"

Jade gave this so called Joker a funny look. Guardian of Light? Ally of Justice? She couldn't make heads or tails about the girl's introduction. The way she presented herself felt like an something a character on a stage play will say, something she was all too familiar with. It's not like she thought Joker was lying about herself, but something about the way she presented herself felt like she was acting out a personality.

As if reading Jade's mind, the bespectacled girl beside Joker stepped forward and gave a deep bow, causing her long knotted black hair to dip close to the ground. Her expression had remained calm and stoic throughout their conversation, making it hard to tell what is going on in her mind. Added with the sharp glare she gave through her eyeglasses, she gave off a cold unapproachable feeling.

Kind of like Yu, Jade unconsciously thought.

"Forgive my lady's behavior. She tends to have a flair for theatrics. My name is Queen and we are both new students at Beacon. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"My lady?" Jade asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Yes, I serve as my lady's retainer."

"Oh…"

The pair was getting stranger and stranger as they speak.

"Geez, Queenie," the Joker whined. "Way to ruin my grand entrance. I spent so long working on that."

"Apologies my lady, but it seems your silly introduction just confused our company."

Joker let out a hmmph.

"Well...Joker. Queen. It's nice to meet you. My name is Jade and the guy standing by the tree over there is my twin brother, Yu. We're first years as well."

Yu, as usual, didn't make any effort acknowledge them.

Joker peered at Jade and Yu and gave a good inspection of them before nodding knowingly, as if evaluating something.

"So, what were you doing out here in the forest?" Jade continued.

"Mmmmm, nothing really. Just getting the lay of the land. Scouting the enemy territory if I should say."

"Enemy territory?"

"That's right! If I'm going to reach the top, every student here is my enemy and never let your guard down. Ah, but that doesn't include you guys. Now that we have shared names, we are friends! I hear teams are formed in pairs of four so if fortune favors us, we can rule this school together!"

"!"

Jade couldn't help but linger on something Joker just said. Friends. Even though Joker has her oddities, hearing the word 'friend' directed to her gave a her a warm fluttering feeling

"Ehhh, we're friends...already?"

"Hehe, of course!"

Her words were spoken casually, but for Jade, her words held weight. Perhaps having someone call her a friend was something she always craved for. After all, back when she was in art school, the only thing everyone cared about was beating the competition. There were no friends or classmates, just rivals and enemies. But here, at Beacon, she has a chance for the school experience she always dreamed about.

However, a chime rang in the distance, distracting the four from their current activities. A voice, projected by speakers, can be heard.

"Attention all new students. Orientation begins in 10 minutes. Please make your way to the auditorium now if you haven't done so already. Thank you."

There was another chime to mark the end of the announcement and the sound of nature return to how it was before.

"Well, it looks like the next step in our journey of becoming huntsmen is about to start," Joker remarked. "Let's head back together, how about it? Don't want to delay the party in longer."

Jade agreed. She looked at Yu for confirmation, but he gave none in return. He just got up from his position on the tree and headed towards the group. Together, the four of them head off, towards the grand alabaster gates of Beacon Academy where their new journey was about to begin.


	2. The Royal Flush

Jade, Yu, Joker, and Queen entered Beacon's main hall, a large semi-circle atrium with a podium at its center, where they were greeted by the cacophony of 1,000 or so students. The hall was packed with students jostling about trying to find a space to stand comfortably. However, within the chaos, a semblance of order can be seen. Hanging from the ceiling above the podium were banners designating areas for students of each year. The first year banner hung just to the left of the main hall while the subsequent years hung to the right.

Joker was the first to move, guiding the rest of the group left towards the other new students. However, as they approach, she inconspicuously pulled her cap lower to partially cover her face, a gesture Jade noticed, but did not question.

Unfortunately for them, the area near the podium was extremely crowded, so they had no choice but to hang out in the back.

"I never knew there were this many students attending Beacon," Jade gasped as they waded through the crowd.

Joker chuckled, using this opportunity to impress Jade with some of her knowledge.

"Hah, this isn't even everyone. A good majority of the people here are first years and second years. Look, if you haven't noticed, the third and fourth year banner are merged together. That's because they do a lot of field work especially over the summer, so most might not be back yet. Some may even be on extended missions and will miss most of the first semester."

"Wow, you sure know a lot of about this school."

"Haha, of course. 'Know thy enemy' as the saying goes," Joker replied with a toothy grin.

Yu scoffed quietly beside Jade.

"Simple knowledge if you've done your research..."

He was voicing his thoughts out loud to himself, but unfortunately, Jade overheard him even in the noisy crowd. Needless to say, it earned him an elbow to the ribs.

While Yu's comment was a bit insensitive, it reminded Jade of something she was meaning to ask.

"By the way, which secondary school did you attend? From your uniform, and I'm assuming it was your school uniform, it must be somewhere prestigious. I hear that only major private schools require uniforms and yours definitely seems… how should put it… regal."

Jade expected Joker to give a boastful tale about her old school, so when she suddenly went bashful, it was shocking.

"Haha, well… about that…"

However, Joker suddenly froze up when she saw something in the crowd and quickly ducked behind Jade. Confused, Jade followed her line of sight and caught what caused such a reaction from her. It wasn't particularly difficult to figure out who Joker was looking at as there were multiple students staring oddly at them as well.

The target of attention were two guys. One had spiky silver hair and wore a large intricate eyepatch that covered his right eye. The person beside him was a tall toned man with a somewhat rugged face and golden blonde hair. As they got closer, Jade also noticed something else. They wore military style uniform as well, similar to Joker's but the color palette was reverse. Where Joker's uniform had a red theme with black theirs had a black theme with red accents.

Jade was about to mention this to Joker when the boy with the eyepatch looked their way with a hint of recognition. Then, in a pompous manner, he approached

"Well, well, well. What dost my eye of darkness espy? I feared thee lost amongst the plebians when no commotion over a warrior with hair of fire was heard, but alas, here you stand now."

The boy with the eyepatch was the one that spoke. His odd speech pattern was not only hard to understand, but loud and obnoxious as well.

Upon realizing that her attempt at stealth failed, Joker let out a long exasperated sigh before emerging from behind Jade.

"Yeah, it's almost as if I was purposefully avoiding the one who will be drawing attention," Joker retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

It was just as she said. It seemed the entire new students sections had their eyes on them. Not only that, it might have been just her imagination, but the moment Joker revealed herself, Jade swore the spectator's murmuring intensified.

Jade took a position beside Joker and whispered into her ears.

"Uhhhhmm, do you two know each other?"

"I guess you can say that. We're… acquaintances."

"ACQUAINTANCES!?" the boy screamed, having caught their whispering. "Mere acquaintances? How dare thee belittle the bond we share?"

"B-bond…?"

This garnered a facepalm from Joker.

"Oi, oi, stop saying things that'll make people misunderstand."

But he did not stop.

"Yes, a bond forged in the furnace of destiny! For we are two forces, similar yet opposing, connected but constantly clashing. She is the fire to my ice, the light to my darkness, my eternal rival, the rival of Ace of House Spades!"

What the heck is this!? Jade thought, her cheeks red from blushing.

The guy name Ace called Joker his rival, yet the way he said it made it sound like some sort of love confession. And she wasn't the only one to think so. From amongst the crowd, several girls squealed at the drama unfolding before them.

But, after his little spiel, Ace stood frozen silently and awkwardly. With a small cough, he nudged the hulking blonde guy beside him who was staring blankly in the distance.

"What… oh… 'And I'm Kingsly of House Diam, Ace's trusted retainer and the rival of Queen.'"

He delivered the line with such monotonous dispassion, it completely deflated the mood Ace set up before. And at the same time, Queen facepalmed herself as if saying 'Why bring me into this..'

But now that Kingsly did as Ace asked, he continued.

"Yes, yes. And as rivals, we must perform a rite all rivals must face."

Joker gave him a particularly sarcastic stare.

"Hoh, and what might that be?"

"Heh, heh, why of course, it must be...a DUEL!"

A wave of 'ooooh' came from the audience at Ace's declaration. But for Jade, something else he said caught her attention.

"House Spade...House Diam…"

She definitely heard the name before but couldn't recall where nor the significance of the name. But since it looked like Joker was somehow connected to them, she decided to ask her.

"Joker…"

However, it was Ace who reacted.

"Joker!? Who is this Joker you speak of?"

"Ah, no, I was referring her, you know, your rival and all."

Ace's eyes furrowed as if she something strange.

"Why do you call her Joker?"

"Eh, is that not her name?"

Ace stared intently at Jade, as if to scrutinize the truth of her words. Then, he turned his gaze to Joker.

"Ace…"

Joker gave a Ace a subtle warning. She gave him a deathly cold stare, one that contrasted with her previous personality. But Ace ignored her warning.

"Hmph, it seems you are with ignorant company. It is a shame that you fail to recognize a person of such esteem. No matter, hear me and hear me well, before you stands J- errrgh…"

He got no further. Lightning fast, Joker shot forward and landed a powerful uppercut straight into Ace's diaphragm. The strike landed with such force, it lifted him slightly off the ground. His eyes popped wide and his mouth agape as all the air in his lung was forcibly ejected. After a moment of convulsing, his eyes roll back and he collapsed upon Joker's shoulder, unconscious.

"Oh no, he collapsed. I guess I have to take him outside for some fresh air," Joker called out, feigning concern.

She hefted the unconscious body over her shoulder, a feat that was incomprehensible for someone of her stature, and began walking towards the entrance.

"Joker, wait! What did he mean by that? Is it true you are hiding your real name?"

Jade called out to Joker as she passed, but she only stop for a moment, a regretful look hung on her face.

"It was not my intention to hide who I am. For that, I'm sorry. But there is a reason I did it. Reason I can't say right now."

"But…"

There was so much more question she wanted to ask, but that was all she got out before Joker disappeared into the sea of students. Queen gave a short apologetic bow before following suite alongside Kingsly, leaving Jade standing there dumbfounded and confused.

Jade stared at the spot where they disappeared forlornly. Another group of new acquaintances came and gone without even getting to know them better. Not only that, Joker was clearly hiding a lot about herself. So much for the pleasant first day she wanted. The past hour had been such a roller coaster of emotions that she just wanted to collapse on a soft bed and just rest.

"Quite the spectacle, wasn't it?"

"Hya!"

A soft whisper was blown centimeters from Jade's ear caused a shiver down her spine. Spinning around, she came across a face. Her face suddenly lit up.

"Amethyst!"

"Yoohoo, good to see you again. And again, call me Amy."

"Oooh...Amy. Sorry."

"Ding ding ding, that's the right answer."

"I didn't notice you when we got here. Were you close by this whole time?"

"Not at all," another voice chimed in. It belonged to Diamon, who came out from the crowd.

"We were up front when we noticed some commotion in the back. Amethyst being the nosy one she is, wanted to snoop…"

"Hey, 'investigate'" Amy interrupted. "Geez, you're making it sound like I was up to no good."

"But you were up to no good."

Amy gave Diamon a fierce glare, which prompted a heavy sigh from the tall fellow. As expected, their interaction made them appear like a spoiled princess and a faithful (but rather snide) butler.

"Fine, she wanted to _investigate_ and we ended up seeing the tail end of that whole situation. I must say Miss Evergreen, I was pleasantly surprised that you are acquainted with some rather...interesting fellows."

Jade latched on to the last part of Diamon's sentence. The way he said it implied he recognized Joker and her group.

"You know them?" Jade unintentionally shouted, startling Diamon and Amy.

The two looked at each other, then back at Jade. Amethyst was the first to speak.

"Yeah. Wait you were with them and you didn't know?"

Jade nodded embarringsly. But this was the perfect opportunity to find out what it was that Joker was hiding from her.

"Who are they?"

"They're the Royal Flush, duh."

"Royal Flush?"

Diamon sighed again at Amy's simple explanation and decided to take over.

"Yes. Royal Flush. A group of families known for their rich history as Grimm hunters before the formation of the Huntsman Academies. Over the ages, each family had developed their own unique fighting style against the Grimm and formed their own schools to teach their techniques. Training at one of their schools was tantamount to an education at Beacon. Their schools were called House and there were four: House Hart, House Diam, House Spades, and House Clubs. From what we picked up from their conversation, Ace would is from House Spades, Kingsly is from Diam, and I can assume the two girls are from the last two."

"Hmmm, wait did you say 'were'?"

"Yes, currently the schools do not exist anymore. They disappeared from history after the Great War."

The Great War. Jade recalled learning of this conflict during history class when she was younger. A terrible war that occurred over 60 years ago that consumed the entire world. It was a war of ideals and individualism that shattered the already frail unity between the four nations of Remnant. However, despite being such a black patch in Remnant's history, there was a silver lining to the conflict. If it did not ended the way it did, the Huntsman Academies wouldn't have existed, she would've never been able to visit places like Vale, and most importantly, she would not have been able to experience dancing.

But, back on to the subject at hand…

"During the Great War, the four families were horrified to find their techniques were used to slaughter humans instead of Grimm. Saddened, the leaders of the Houses at the time permanently shut down their school and they faded from history. In their places rose the Huntsman Academies which carried on the ideals that they strived for. And even though they are no more, their name are still regarded with reverence to this day."

Having heard the full story, Jade realized that she did know of them, to an extent. A family of pre-Huntsman who dedicated their lives to fight the Grimm. To think, that Joker is from that family. Speaking of Joker…

"So, do you know their names?"

Hoping to garner more information on the girl with all the secrets, Jade asked Diamon and Amy with glittering eyes. However, their expression dampened her hopes.

"Sorry to say, but they kept to themselves since the war. So, concerning their names, we only know as much as you do."

"Yeah, what was it? Joker, Ace, Queen, and Kingsly? Although it did sound like that Joker girl wasn't using her actual name."

"Yeah…"

While she was grateful to learn a bit more of her background, the most important part was still hidden in a cloud of mystery. She kept wondering why Joker would hide her true identity. Was it because she didn't want people to find out she was part of that family? But the other pair gave away their identity readily. And it wasn't like anyone will recognize her name if she did use her real name. Jade was starting to get a headache from overthinking this, so after a shake of her head she decided to put this matter to the back of her mind.

* * *

In the courtyard outside of the auditorium.

Joker unceremoniously dumped the unconscious body of Ace onto the grassy lawn where it made a soft thump.

"Sorry for treating your master so like this, Kingsly," Joker apologized to the hulking blonde that walked beside her.

But the guy merely shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. Most of the times, I think he deserves what he gets."

This got a chuckle out of Joker. However, he still had to deal with the mess that Ace got her into so she turned her attention back to him and gave his still lifeless figure a kick.

"Hey, you can stop pretending now. I guess I should thank you for following along, but seriously, seeing you like this is creeping me out."

At first there was no reaction from Ace. But then, like a zombie rising from the grave, his upper body slowly rose. When his body was nearly perpendicular to his legs, his head snap forward and stared a Joker with an accusing stare.

"I thought you were past this."

Gone was his cryptic speech pattern and bloated personality. In its place was a man with an intimidating gaze and intense presence. You could say this was his true self and the person he was before was all an act.

Joker avoided eye contact. She knew this was his true personality and thought she was used to it, but even now, his gaze always made her shy away. Especially when looking at the eyepatch…

"I am...I was...it's just that…"

"That…?"

"I just wanted a fresh start. A place where people won't recognize my name…"

At this point, Joker clenched her fist.

"Or what I have done."

Ace sighed. He already knew that was the reason why she wanted to hide her identity. He didn't blame her. In fact, he often questioned whether to conceal his own identity when meeting new people. The weight of their history can be both a blessing and a curse, but he had already accepted it and decided not to let bother him. However, while Joker was in the same boat, she carries a far greater burden than just her name.

"By the way," Joker redirected the conversation. "Aren't you being a bit hypocritical? You are doing that stupid act you use to do. In a way, you are hiding who you really are as well."

Ace gave a dumbfounded look. Then, slowly, he began to chuckle ominously and shot up from his sitting position with a smug look on his face.

"Oh, my dear...Joker is it? This is no mere facade. I am truly the Chosen of the Darkness, sent here to prevent the hour of the world's demise. Unlike you, who hide from the eye of truth, I embrace it, for it'll make the dull conundrum of school just bit more amusing."

Then, a sinister smile crept up his lips.

"Plus, scariest enemies are the ones you think most harmless, don't you think?"

To that, Joker could only grumble to herself. It looked like Ace will continue to act like that and there's nothing she can do to stop him.

"Whatever, lets just head back. I think orientation is about to start."

She turned around and started walking back to the atrium. However, Queen spoke up as she crossed by.

"And what about Jade?"

Joker looked solemnly at the ground before raising her head with newfound determination.

"Tomorrow. Depending on what happens during the test, I will tell her who I really am tomorrow."

* * *

Back in the atrium, a figure appeared on the central podium and rapped on the microphone placed there. The crowd quieted down and focus attention to the stage, where a woman with dazzling blond hair tied in a bun with piercing eyes hidden behind almond shaped glasses stood. Her posture was upright and prim and held an aura of dignity around her.

Jade recognize this woman. Glynda Goodwitch. She was one that provided information on the school during the flight. Unlike the holographic projection, she appeared much younger than she thought, almost as if she was a student herself. However, the aura she gave off was stern and demanding like a seasoned professor.

Ms. Goodwitch gave a thorough look at all the students lined up below her. As her gaze passed by Jade, she couldn't help but look away from her eagle-like gaze. After a moment of pause, she began to speak.

"Welcome, students. Both returning and new. I'm sure you are all ready to start school, but before we go on our way, the Headmaster will have a few words with you all."

As if on cue, the Headmaster of Beacon, Professor Ozpin, stepped forth from the shadows of the stage. He approached the microphone slowly, his sluggish pace assisted by a long dark cane. His grey hair and round spectacle gave the impression of a wise elder sage, but physically, he looked like someone in his 30's. However, something about his eyes, gave the impression that he has seen much more than any man could in a lifetime.

"I will try to keep this brief," he began, his eyes slowly surveying the crowd before him.

"For the returning students, I welcome you back to my humble academy. Your dedication and service to this school and the community over the years are highly appreciated. I hope you continue to excel and once you leave this school, you will use the progress you have made for the betterment of our bright world."

Then, he turned to the new students all huddle in the corner of the auditorium.

"As for the new students, I have something more to say. As I look amongst you, all I see is children in search of knowledge, power, and purpose. Strengths needed to fulfill a goal. You assume that this school will provide you the strength you seek, but most assuredly, you will not find it here."

He let those words sink in. A commotion of whisper broke out from the new students, but Ozpin made no attempt to hush it. Instead, he merely stood there watching the students reaction, his eyes skimming the crowd until they settled upon a particular set of bright green eyes in the back.

"No, for the strength you seek is not something that can be given. It already exist, inside each and everyone of you, undiscovered. I can only serve as guide, a beacon, towards that which you seek. But the rest, the rest is up to you."

With that, he saunter off the stage, leaving the group of confused freshmen in his wake. However, for Jade, his speech was more perplexing. She couldn't describe it, but his words and tone had an intimateness to them, as if he was directing the speech to her directly. It left her with this weird feeling that she couldn't put her hands on.

Thankfully, Professor Goodwitch followed up after Ozpin, dispelling the odd mood set by the Headmaster.

"Second years and above, you are now dismissed. Please return to your dormitory."

The hall soon became lively with the sound of shifting students and within minutes, the auditorium emptied out save for the handful of first years.

"New students, you will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

With the wave of her hand, doors on either side of the auditorium opened, as if by magic, beckoning the students deeper into the school.

The crowd then dispersed and headed through the opened doors, leaving just Jade and her group behind. Out of the corner of the eyes, she caught Joker and her group intermingle with the students heading in. As much as she wanted to go and confront her, she felt that now was not the best time. Instead, Jade faced her group, her gaze passing through each member.

Yu. Amethyst. Diamon.

"Well, shall we go too?"

Yu closed his eyes and let out sigh.

Amy bounced in the air while waving her hands.

Diamon courteously directed the group towards the exit.

Each member reacted differently, but Jade could tell they were all ready. With a smile, the group hurried through the doors to catch up.

* * *

After everyone entered the ballroom, they were divided by gender, girls on one side of the hall while the boys on the other. From there, the students were reacquainted with their luggages and promptly set up for the night. The process took a few hours. Mainly due to the students bringing out some extravagant gear for their one night. Some brought large tents, while others brought out complete set ups for game consoles. Either way, everyone seemed to be prepared to spend the night in merriment as if they were out on a camping trip.

Everyone was enjoying themselves in their own way for the rest of the day and before they knew it, the bright blue sky turned brilliant orange and then navy blue.

Day had turned to dusk.

With the change, a lull fell over the students. They were still enjoying themselves, but with approaching darkness and light from the fragmented moon, the students, whether subconsciously or otherwise, toned down as well.

As for Jade, she had sat quietly in the corner of the hall the entire day, her head buried in her notebook, jotting down the things she saw today. Amy was with her when they came in, but immediately after setting her sleeping bag, she ran off on her own. Jade didn't mind that Amy left, but she felt a bit lonely seeing all the other groups enjoying themselves.

Now that night has fallen and the crowd had quieted down, Jade decided to take a stretch. After all, if dancing taught her anything, its that muscles will easily cramp if they are left to atrophy. And that's the last thing she wants on tomorrow's field exam.

As she stretched, she scanned the other side of the hall until her she found Yu. He, like her, was situated in the corner of the hall except he was leaning against the wall, hands crossed, and eyes closed. He may appear to be taking a nap, but Jade knew that was how he looked when deep in thought. Of what he was thinking, she was unsure, but knowing him, it must be about tomorrow. Probably planning strategies and tactics to approach the test. While she commended him for preparing, it left her a bit worried. Worried about how far he might push himself.

"If you keep staring at him like that, people will start weird rumors, ya know?"

The high squeaky voice of Amy came from beside her. It seemed she came back just as Jade started stretching.

"Hmmm, rumors? About what?"

"You know…"

Amy's voice was full of mischief. She started to act out a scene, portraying two different characters at once.

"'Dear brother, oh how I yearn for your loving embrace!' 'Dear sister, oh how my heart ache for being separated from you for far too long. Come, let us share the night together.' 'Ah, brother not here there are people watching…'"

"Wha- gross, stop!" Jade interrupted, her face beat red in embarrassment. She realize where Amy alluding to and stopped her before she crossed that line. "My brother and I are not like that! Why would you suggest something like that?"

"Haha, now that's the expression I wanted to see."

"That's not funny…"

"Hehe, sorry, sorry. You just had one of those 'angsty protagonist' look on you so I thought I should do something about it. So what's going on, you worried about your brother or something?"

To this, Jade made a difficult expression.

"No, that's not it. I'm sure...I know he will do fine. Rather, I was just questioning if I belong here or not."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, first of all, I never attended a Huntsmen school before…"

"Eh, eh, EH?! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. You're telling me you never had any formal training as a Huntsman in your life? Then, how did you even get into Beacon?"

"Well, I honestly don't know myself. I think it was when Professor Ozpin came to visit Yu about his scholarship. He asked me a few odd questions before he left, some things about goals and direction. Perhaps it was something I said."

"Hmmm, that does sound like something he would do. But if you never attended Huntsmen school, what were you doing back then?"

"Well, as of two years ago, I was a professional dancer."

For some reason, this caused Amy's eyes to light up. She grabbed Jades hand and leaned in close. So close that she could feel her breath on her skin.

"Dancer, you say? Did you by any chance perform at the Atlesian Coliseum 2 years ago during the Summer Festival?"

It was an oddly specific event, but one that Jade recognized. She had indeed performed as a lead dancer in an opera for some of the high society members that attend the festival. Probably one of the most glamorous performance she was a part of. But it was not a fond memory. Because the day after, she was a dancer no more.

She slowly nodded her head, which caused Amy to squeal in delight, startling some nearby students in the progress.

"Oh my god! I thought you look somewhat familiar. You were the main dancer for the show, what was its name, _Tsukihime_. Yeah, that's it. I saw that performance there with Diamon. Your dance was breathtaking. And your costume. Oh, it was the most beautiful dress I have ever seen."

Jade was startled by her enthusiasm. She had her fair share of fans who wanted to meet her, but they were just impersonal greetings. But for someone like Amy, whom she had gotten to know a bit, to recognize her, she didn't know how to react. Does she play it off how she usually greet fans with a 'thanks' or should she do something else. More than that, who would've expected someone attending a Huntsman Academy on the complete opposite end of the world would recognize her dance. Coincidence indeed.

"Wait."

Something seemed to click in Amy's mind. A sense of dread washed over Jade as she realized what Amy was about to say.

"If you were a successful dancer, why make the switch to a Huntsman all of the sudden?"

There it is. The dreadful question that Jade had been avoiding ever since she got here. Yu had asked the same thing earlier and she had given him a very ambiguous answer. But it was not because she was too embarrassed to say it. It was just, no matter what, she could not tell her brother, or else she fears their relationship will be broken beyond repair.

Her hesitance to tell others, however, stem from how personal her reasons are, but she knew she couldn't avoid the question forever. And while her time with Amy was brief, she got the feeling that Amy was an open-minded kind of person, someone she can trust with her past.

With a heavy sigh, she decided to tell Amy. She sat down and stared at the large broken moon, basking in its brilliant light to calm herself. Inferring that she was about to start a long story, Amy sat down next to her.

"How close do you think my brother and I are?" Jade started.

"Hmmm, well I never seen you guys interact all that much together, but it looked like you guys are close. Wait, are you telling me that you guys are actually 'that' close?"

Jade gave Amy a mean look. Amy waved her hand apologetically, letting her continue.

"No, it's the opposite. While our relationship now has been fine, back when I was still a dancer, we were not on speaking terms with each other."

Jade clenched her knees tightly, remembering the past she wished never happened.

"It wasn't because we hate each other or anything. More like we grew distant due to the situation we were in. He never really cared about my dancing and I though his decision to become a Huntsman was dumb. It made it difficult for us to hold a conversation without some form of hostility, a fact that grew more so after I attended a boarding school to start my career in dancing. At some point, we just stop talking altogether."

Jade remembered the feeling of regret that day she left home like it was yesterday. If only she wasn't so stubborn back then, or simply been brave enough to say something, an apology, anything, things might not have ended up the way it had. But now was not the time to dwell on the past, there was more to tell.

"Then, two years ago, everything changed…"

Jade had finally reached the part which she feared the most. The memory that will always haunt her. One word was all that was enough to explain her anxiety.

"Grimm."

The expression on Amy's face changed from curiosity to sympathy. Anyone on Remnant understood the significance of the Grimm. Of what they do and how it affects the people they run into.

"I was at my dorm in Atlas when I received the news. Grimm attacked my village back in Mistral, razing it to the ground. I immediately head back after hearing this, only to discover my parents were killed and my brother in an emotional mess."

"That's terrible. I had no idea," Amy gasped.

Jade appreciated her condolences and offered a weak smile as a way to show her appreciation. However, that moment was brief and she continued with the same forlorn expression as before.

"I lost my motivation to dance after witnessing the aftermath. 'How could I even think about going back and enjoying myself while the people closest to me are struggling to survive?' was what I thought back then. So, I decided to take a break from dancing and help my village rebuild."

At this point, Jade's eyes wander back to his brother on the other side of the hall. He had gotten up from his resting position and was preparing his sleeping bag. Beside him, Diamon appeared to be trying to start a conversation with him, but failing hopelessly. After a while, he resigned and head back to his own sleeping area just a short walk away from Yu.

"My brother was the only family I had left and I didn't want leave this chasm between us as it is, so I did my best to make up with him."

She let out a short, somber chuckle as she recalled something.

"Heh, you have no idea how happy I was when he finally talked to me on his own accord."

Amy noticed the expression Jade had while looking at his brother was a bittersweet one. The soft smile she held was tempered by the melancholy reflected in her light green eyes. So far, Jade's story seemed to be heading in a positive direction, but judging by her look, there was still more to it.

"Did something happen?" Amy asked, prompting Jade to continue. To this, Jade only shook her head.

"Nothing in particular. It just took time for me to realize something about him changed. When we were younger, he thought of Huntsmans as heroes and he would train everyday enthusiastically with a smile on his face, looking forward to the day he would become like them. But now…"

This was it. This was the reason why she was so hesitant to say anything to her brother before. She was afraid. Afraid of what might happen between them if she told him. But more so, she was afraid that if she said it out loud to herself, she would realize how idiotic her decision was to come here. But it was the only way she could think of to protect the semblance of family she had left.

"He trained with a ferocity that I have never seen before. Day in, day out, he would be in the forest honing his skills, pushing the boundaries of his physical abilities and semblance. It was all he ever did, as if nothing else mattered anymore, like an obsession."

Jade put her hand on her chest feeling her beating heart.

"And every time I see him out there, his eyes full of animosity and frustration, I feel as if my heart is breaking apart. I can see the road he is taking and I didn't like it. I was afraid that if he continued this path, he will end up somewhere I will can't reach. I didn't want that. So I made a decision. I wanted to help him alleviate the pain he was going through, but I couldn't do so if I'm not part of the world he's in, so I threw away dancing and became a Huntress. It doesn't matter if I'm not as capable as he is, as long as I can support him from behind and keep him from going over the edge, I'm fine with that."

She let out a long sigh. She didn't realize how painful it was to recall all the terrible things she had gone through. But when she finally told her story to someone, it felt as if a heavy burden was lifted off of her and she was able to breath a bit easier.

Meanwhile, beside her, Amy stared off into the night sky with a glazed look, processing all the information she was given. She did provide a lot of heavy material after all.

A lot of things a princess like her might not be use to, Jade thought.

But after a moment, she came back to her sense.

"Wow, didn't expect to walk into a minefield like that," Amy exhaled.

"Sorry about that."

"No, no, it's fine. I'm glad that you shared this with me."

However, it was Amy's turn to look to have a downcast expression.

"But I do want to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"What are you seeking out of this school?"

Jade tilted her head to the side. It was strange. Professor Ozpin said something like that too when she had the opportunity to speak with him. She gave him an ambiguous answer back then, but she felt it wasn't right to repeat the same thing. So, she decided to tell the truth.

"Honestly, I don't know yet. I don't have a direction nor the qualifications to be here in the first place. But Yu does. And as long as he has something to work towards, then I will help him get there. Maybe along the way, I can find my own way as well."

For a moment there was silence. But then, something unexpected happened. Amy started chuckling. It was took Jade by surprise considering the gravity in which Amy confronted her, but considering how she acted during the day, it wasn't difficult to image her randomly bursting into laughter.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to laugh at you," Amy apologized, her hand covering her mouth as she turned away. But when she finally calmed down, her hands still poised near her mouth, she whispered something quietly, more to herself than to Jade.

"I guess we're similar after all."

Unable to hear what she just said, Jade gave her a puzzled look. But before she could ask, Amy stood up and stretched her arms. Jade's story had given her a lot to dwell on, in terms of Jade's journey to Beacon as well as her own. To cleanse her mind of these swirling emotions, she turned her gaze towards the fragmented moon and basked in its luminescent rays. And as she stood there, the lamps in the hall dimmed, signalling curfew. The last dribble of conversation began to die out and the shuffle of bodies snuggling into their sleeping bags took its place.

"I guess it's getting late," Amy remarked. "Tomorrow's a busy day so be sure to rest, ok?"

With that, she faced Jade on last time to wave goodbye, the soft glow of the moon at her back. Even with the lights out, Jade noticed Amy's cheerful smile under the backdrop the moon as she said farewell. It was the same smile that she always wore during their time together during the afternoon. Unlike the daytime, perhaps due to the permeating darkness around her or the lack of artificial light or just a combination of both, the moonlight made her smile shine much brighter. But in the same sense, it betrayed a sense of melancholy that was unnoticed under the bright sun.

Jade wanted to say something, wanted to continue her conversation with Amy, but she knew it was too late. With a solemn nod, she waved back at Amy and the two settled in for the night. It had been a long day, and not long after snuggling comfortably in her blanket, the gentle caress of sleep crept up to her.

And as the night settled in, unbeknownst to anyone, a shadow hidden in the nook of the wall shifted and melted away.

* * *

 **Author Note: Thanks for reading my story up to this point. This story was something I really wanted to tell after creating these characters in my previous work. If you have seen my previous story, just a heads up, I retconned the setting so the story can focus more on Jade and her team. Moving forward, I don't know how often I can update as I am busy with work, but I will try to put a new chapter every two weeks on Sunday or Monday. If not I'll update what I got so far and add the rest later. Let me know what you think so far. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.**


	3. Descent into the Emerald Forest

**A/N: Made a few small edits to this chapter. Other than that, here is the complete chapter 3. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

It was late morning. The sun hung high in the sky, no cloud in sight, but the chill of morning dew still clung in the air.

Jade couldn't help but shiver from the cold as she peered at the scene before her. She was standing near the edge of a cliff overlooking a large dense forest which appears enclosed by mountains. A number of ruin-like structures and rocky formations dot the sea of trees, but other than that, it appeared to be just a normal forest.

Stood in a line alongside her was a small portion of the new students who, during the morning assembly, were divided into smaller groups for the test. Luckily for her, she was placed in the same group as Yu, Amy, and Diamon. But that wasn't all. At the far end of the line…

...Joker stood solemnly alongside the other three members of the Royal Flush.

As if aware of eyes on her, Joker turned her head in Jade's direction, to which Jade quickly snapped her head back behind the countless bodies between them. She tried to reach out to Joker this morning, but, whether she was unlucky or Joker was avoiding her, Jade haven't seen her at all until they came here.

After a few moment to catch her breath, Jade returned her attention to the two adults in front of them: Professor Ozpin and Goodwitch.

Ozpin stood relaxed, a cup of coffee in his hand, as he calmly survey the group before him. Meanwhile, Goodwitch busily tapped away at her large scroll, her already sharp gaze point intensely at the task she was performing.

Now that Jade got a good look at her, Professor Goodwitch does appear young, older than her but not by much. If anything, she was most likely a recent graduate who decided to work at the school.

As Jade scrutinize Ms. Goodwitch, she suddenly lifted her head from her pad and gave Ozpin a nod. Receiving this cue, he cleared his throat and started speaking.

"Good morning students. How was your rest?"

A few positive murmur came from the students.

"Hmmm, good."

Ozpin takes a sip of coffee from his mug before continuing.

"Today, your abilities will be evaluated here in the Emerald Forest. Based on your performances, you will be assigned to a class that meets your skill level. Now, as some of you may be aware, Huntsmen operate in a team of four and you may wonder how teams are assigned. Well, let me dispel any confusion: each of you will be given teammates...today."

A rumbling of whispers spread throughout the students. Some nervous, while others excited.

On the other hand, Ozpin maintain his calm dignity and took another sip of his coffee.

"I would like each of you to take a good look at your fellow students here. By the end of today, three of them will be a part of your team."

Everyone proceeded to take a good look at each other. There were 32 students present, so by the end there will be eight teams of four.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time at Beacon so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well. And if you are worried about being paired with strangers that may not work well with you, do not fear. The groups were not selected arbitrarily."

Ozpin raised his hand with two fingers held out.

"The groups were decided upon following two criteria. First, you were split based on personal connections whether that be friends from before you came to Beacon, acquaintances met during your arrival, or in some cases…"

Ozpin gaze shifted towards Jade and Yu

"...even relatives."

Jade felt her cheeks warm up after being called out like that.

"The second criteria is my personal evaluation of your abilities. From your semblance to your psyche profile, I made sure that each and every one of you will find partners that will...how should I put...complement your particular personalities."

With that, he lowered his hand and strolled over to Professor Goodwitch. He whispered something to her and she gave a nod before quickening her tapping on the screen.

"Now before I explain how you will be matched with your teammates, let me explain what you will be doing today. Normally, the evaluation involves retrieving a relic from a location within the forest and returning to the cliff, but this year will be different."

Again, the students grew restless. Tension filled the air as they eagerly await what changes will be made to the evaluation. It was clear to Jade this was something many looked forward to do.

"Instead of one central location, there will be eight shrines in the forest with a pair of relics. However, you will not be able to retrieve these relics until there are four students present at the shrine. Those who unlock a relic together will be your teammate for the four years at this school."

Jade sighed in relief. Based on this information, there is some room to choose the teammates you want. Once someone finds a shrine they will have to wait until there are four students present. And for those who arrive at a shrine with someone already present, they can choose whether to join them or not. That means that as long as she can find which shrine her brother ends up at, as long as there is still room, they can be in the same team.

However, Ozpin wasn't done talking.

"Once your team acquires the relic, you will be given a puzzle. The puzzle will lead you to a lock at a seperate location where you must use the relics as a key to open it. When the lock is opened a signal will be sent to us indicating that you have completed this challenge. Once all four locks are opened, the exam will end."

Suddenly, a student called out from the crowd.

"W-wait, four? Don't you mean eight?"

"No, I meant what I said."

"But, you just said there was eight shrines, meaning eight teams. That means four teams won't be able to complete the challenge."

To this, Ozpin gave an almost mischievous smile.

"Very astute. You are correct in that only four teams will complete this task. The eight shrines will each have a clue, but the clues will only lead you to four locations. You will face plenty of obstacles in the Emerald Forest, but this year, you are also racing each other towards the finish line."

"What will happen to those who don't finish?"

It was Jade who spoke up this time. Hearing that the exam will be a competition put a hamper to her plans. She still wanted to team up with her brother, but at the same time didn't want to be burden to him. Compared to everyone here she was most likely the weakest. She knew that all too well and if that will become a detriment to Yu, then maybe it was best not to be by his side.

Ozpin gave a knowingly look to Jade. He still held the same calm smile that he always had, even back when they first met.

"I will decide that when the time comes. But I will have you know, completing the challenge is not synonymous to a high evaluation. It will certainly help in your placements, but it is ultimately your performance and teamwork that we are looking for."

He paused there to let all the information sink in. During this intermission, one student raised his hand.

"What are the relics we are searching for?"

"I'm glad you asked."

From his pocket, he withdrew a small red object. It was cylindrical with a crystalline structure and a shiny glass-like surface. When held under the sun, its many facets sparkled brightly, momentarily dazzling those who witnessed it.

"Does anyone know what this is?"

It was quite obvious. This crystal was something that anyone on Remnant would recognize. A material that protected humanity those far. It was…

"Dust."

A voice called out from the crowd.

However, to everyone's surprise, Ozpin shook his head, leading to a mass confusion.

But one person was not fazed by this turn of event.

"It's a gem, a ruby to be exact."

Those words came from the boy standing a few meters away from Jade. It came from none other than Diamon Prisma.

"That's correct," Ozpin remarked with a knowing grin. "As expected of the heir to Prisma Jewelry Inc."

This came as a huge surprise to Jade. He gave the tall man a wide eye look, to which he only respond with a embarrassed shrug.

Jade wasn't the only one, though. Many of the students had their attention drawn to the large man, some with what can only be considered sparkly eye adoration. A response often seen in the presence of a celebrity.

"Care to elaborate further?" Ozpin urged.

Diamon let out a haughty chucke and entered some sort of lecture mode.

Gems, like Dust in its crystalline form, share many of the same physical characteristics which is one reason why they can be easily mistaken as Dust. The most important difference is that gems lacks magical energy typically found in Dust crystals. This trait makes gems much less useful than Dust, which is the main reason why gems aren't well known, but they are hardly useless. Their density and hardness makes them useful in tools and their luster is much more significant than Dust, making them a cheaper alternative for jewelry.

It did look like Diamon had more to say, but Ozpin cut him off there.

"The relics you are seeking will be a pair of gem and dust. Combining the two will form the key needed for the second half of the exam."

At this point, his demeanor turned grave.

"Before I send you off, there is one last thing. Once you have formed your team and acquired the relics, it is free reins. That means you are free to attack another team as long as they also have gotten their relics. But be warned, once your aura drops to the critical range you are considered 'out' and attacking someone who is 'out' will result in a disqualifications. We are Huntsman, but you will find, in due time, that your enemies will not always be Grimm. This is a lesson to teach you when and where to show restraint. There will be faculty monitoring the situation from a distance, so make sure you don't make decisions you will regret. Is there any more questions?"

The students remained silent. The serious aura around Ozpin dissipated and he took another sip of his coffee.

"Good. Prepare your Landing Strategy. You will be sent in just a moment."

With all the explanation out of the way, everyone tensed up in preparation for the start. Jade was no exception as she went into a ready position.

But something dawned on her. She quickly turned to Yu in a panic.

"What's a Landing Strategy?"

Yu gave her a look that can only be described as a cross between concern and disgust. It's as if he was saying 'How did you even get here without that knowledge?'

But he ignored her question, returning to his usual brooding self.

"Just don't hit the ground to hard."

"What's that supposed to…AAAAHHHHHH"

Without warning, Jade was suddenly launched into the air.

For a few moments, the only thing she could perceive was the whistling of the wind and her own high pitch scream. When her brain finally caught up with reality, she righted her tumbling body to get a better grasp of the situation. First, she noticed every student on the cliffside had been launched in a similar fashion, but based on their location, everyone was launched at different time and at a different trajectory. Next, she examined the forest she was falling towards. Taking into account the height of the cliff, it will take around thirty seconds to hit the treeline. That means thirty seconds to break her fall.

But that was the problem. She didn't have a way to completely stop her fall. Sure her semblance was wind, but she knew it wasn't powerful enough to stop her velocity or even dampen it by much.

Yet, she still needed to do something.

From the holster on her back, she withdrew two fans. It was not the fans she used the previous day, but her actual weapon. The exterior was made of a metallic black alloy and, when unfurled, the many panes that make up the interior was of a glowing green make.

She concentrated her aura into the fans and the green section pulsed warmly. The wind around her suddenly changed in response to the glow and she felt herself being surrounded by it. Then, with one large movement she flapped the fans in front of her as if a bird flapping its wings, and the wind around her blasted forward.

Jade felt her downward momentum ease up for a moment. But only for a moment before gravity overcame her pitiful defiance.

She was now below the cliff edge and the ground was rapidly approaching.

She examined her surroundings once more. Perhaps the environment can be used to her advantage. That's when she noticed a small lake some distance away.

Changing her tactics, Jade flapped her fans once more, but this time to push herself into a glide rather than resisting her fall. If she can reach the lake, perhaps the water can dampen the impact at this speed. At least that's what she hoped.

"Come on, come on, come on," she urged herself as she put her all into the glide.

The small lake grew larger and larger as she approached, but soon she realized a fatal error. She had forgotten to take into account the treeline during her descent. While she was correct in assuming she will make it to the lake, she will hit the trees before she can reach it. But there is nothing that can be done at this point.

Jade gritted her teeth and tensed up in anticipation of the impact, with the faint hope that her aura can stay intact until she reached the lake.

She closed her eyes as she was about to enter the thicket…

...And nothing happened.

Well, not exactly nothing. As her eyes were held shut, she suddenly felt a tug on her back and the downward momentum suddenly shifted.

"Gotcha," a female voice exclaimed.

At this point, that voice had grown familiar to her. Opening her eyes and turning to face the person in question confirmed her guess.

"Amy!"

It was the same pink haired bright eye girl that Jade had spent the last day with. She had grabbed her before she plummeted into the trees and now gently fluttered to the banks of the lake where she finally let go.

"Thanks for saving me. I thought I was done for."

"No biggie. Although, I was trying to catch up with Diamon, but when I saw you in trouble, I just instinctively followed you."

"Sorry…"

"Haha, like I said it's no problem," Amy reiterated as she slowly fluttered closer to the ground.

Flutter?

Now that Jade had collected herself, she realized Amy was floating off the ground with a slightly different attire than yesterday. It was the same frilly lavender dress, but somehow it seemed thinner and more exposed. And on her back was a pair of translucent fairy wings twinkling on her back.

"Is that…?" Jade stutter at the odd sight before her. She already thought Amy looked like some anachronistic princess, but now she looked like something straight out of a fairy tale.

Noticing Jade's confusion, Amy gave a embarrassed chuckle. Suddenly, a bright glow surrounded her and her clothes seemed to transmute into light particles. At first, her dress of light was about to burst and disappear, but it slowly changed form, shifting its shape before shattering into tiny sparkles of light and revealing the dress that she normally wears.

"Was that your semblance?" Jade gawked, still surprised at the transformation.

"Yup," Amy nodded. "Seamstress, I call it. I can manipulate fabric to take any form I want."

"But...the wings… how?"

"Oh, that?"

Amy turned around to show off her pink bow around her waist. It was made of some gossamer material, but upon closer inspection, there were rune-like etchings along it.

"I've sewn in some gravity manipulation Dust and some wind Dust. I can then use my semblance to distribute the Dust infuse fabric throughout my body so I can fly. Oh and the wings, it's not actually necessary, I just thought it was cute that's all."

Amy twirled around a few more times to give Jade a better look. After she seemed satisfied with herself, she turned her gaze south.

"Hmmm, last I checked, Diamon was falling that way. There was some sort of ruined temple in that direction so that must be his destination."

Amy turned to look at Jade, who fidgeted as if unsure what to do next, and tilted her head in the direction she was looking at to catch her attention.

"Let's go that way, ok?"

"..."

Amy chuckled at her restlessness.

"Thinking about where your brother might be?"

Jade perked up, startled that she mentioned her brother, before slouching a bit in embarrassment. This was particularly amusing to Amy.

"Hehe, hey come on, we might meet him along the way. Remember this is a test, everyone is heading to one of eight spots in this forest, so we're bound to meet him, right?"

This seemed to assure Jade slightly. She nodded and fell in line behind Amy as the two walk deeper into the woods in search of a shrine.

Minutes passed in silence as the two trudged through the uneven ground. All that can be heard was the whistling of birds in the air and the rustling of trees in the wind. While it wasn't an uncomfortable silence, in fact Jade particularly enjoyed listening to the sound of nature, she felt the she needed to say something. This was a good time as any since something was on her mind before she was launched into the forest, which she just now recalled.

"Hey, Amy?"

"Hmmm, what is it?"

"Diamon. He's...really renown isn't he?"

"Haha, I guess he is to a degree."

"Then, what about you? Are you, you know, like that, too?"

Amy halted and gave Jade a curious look.

"What do you think?"

Jade didn't know how to answer that question. She tried to think about it, but Amy continued talking.

"You thought I was some princess and Diamon was my butler or something, right?"

"Eh, how did you know?" Jade cried out in astonishment.

This gave Amy a good laugh.

"Everyone who don't know him thinks the same thing. I can't really blame them though. But the reality is much different than what you think. I guess I have to introduce myself again...properly."

Amy did a small twirl to face Jade. She crossed her legs and lifted the side of her skirt while courteously bowing.

"My name is Amethyst Lavenda. First year student at Beacon Academy and...Diamon Prisma's personal maid. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

If Jade's jaw wasn't connected to her skull, it would've surely fell to the ground. Never in her wildest dream did she expect this kind of revelation.

"But...but…"

The gears in Jade's head were spinning rapidly, trying to comprehend this information. And when no solution could be found, it overheated, causing visible steam to rise from her temple.

Amy found Jade's reaction far too amusing, just like she hoped it would.

"Didn't expect that did ya?"

"But…"

"Why don't I act the part?"

Jade nodded. Not the words she would use, but the idea was the same.

"Well, Diamon and my relationship is a bit...complicated. You see, my mom became the Prisma family physician after she saved Diamon's father's life when he fell ill during a trip. We were sorta poor at the time, so as thanks, we were 'adopted' by the Prismas. My mom became their physician and I was given the task of looking after Diamon. I was officially recognized as his maid, but since I was around his same age, I was more...someone for him to talk with."

Amy smiled, lost in her thoughts.

"However, once I started learning maidly duties, things started to change. I was just clumsy and so bad at everything. I always left his room in more of a mess than before, I always forget to separate colors for laundry, and I'm not even willing to eat the meals I make. Heh, but you know, he was never bothered by that. Sure, when I messed up his breakfast, he accosted me for being useless, but then he would immediately take it upon himself to make something delicious for the both of us. All the while having this smug smile as if he was trying to impress me."

Amy chuckled when she recalled that moment.

"It was the same for everything else. He was always there whenever I needed help. And eventually, we just fell into this pattern."

As Jade watched her reminisce, she noticed that her smiling expression was different from before. It wasn't the happy-go-lucky expression from when they first met nor was it the melancholy one last night. If she tried to describe it, it was one of warmth. One that seem to affect Jade with its radiance.

It would take an idiot not to recognize what Amy was feeling.

"Amy, do you…"

But before she can finish her sentence, the ground beneath to rumble.

It wasn't the rumbling of an earthquake. No, the shaking was very slight, but at a constant pulse. If anything, it was the tremors of massive footsteps.

"Incoming!"

Amy cried out as she got into a fighting stance, drawing out a wand with purple gem at its tip with wing-like appendages surrounding it.

Jade faced the direction that Amy was looking and made out three figures beyond the foliage. They were large lumber husk covered with a black misty coat, with blazing red eyes and bone white appendages along their body like armor plates.

They were Ursi.

The three beast let out a low guttural growl as they approach. Jade and Amy cautiously backed away, maintaining a set distance from the creatures.

Then, with a roar, all three Grimm pounced at their prey. But the two girls were prepared. They lept to the side just as the beast landed on the area they were standing, but they leapt in opposite directions, causing them to be split apart. Two Ursi turned to face Amy while one turned to Jade.

"I can take care of these two, are you going to be okay?" Amy shouted from across the enemies.

"I think I can manage," Jade unconfidently called out.

She seen Grimm before, but this was the first time she was up close to one. The suffocating black aura and the putrid smell of their heaving breaths was more than enough to overwhelm Jade with a sense of dread. Sweat began to pour from her brow and her hands began to shake as she stared down this beast of darkness.

 _Is this what Yu... what all Huntsman must deal with?_ Jade thought.

The Ursa let out a bellowing roar as it stood on its hind legs and swiped at Jade.

She nimbly ducked under the attack and charged the grim with her fans held forward. The sharp end of her weapon slashed across the beast multiple times, tearing through its black fur. A dark fluid sprayed from these wounds, but otherwise, the beast looked unharmed.

The Ursa roared in defiance and attempted to attack Jade again, but she twirled out of its reach. As she spun, she gathered the wind around her and channeled it into her fans, which glowed bright green in response. Then, swing her arms in an arc, the wind shot forth in two scythe like shapes that struck the Ursa in the chest.

The force of the attack toppled the bear, but again, it didn't seem to leave any major damage.

"Damn it."

Jade cursed her own ineffective attacks. She wasn't used to attacking living things. When she practiced, it was always against wooden posts. But against moving breathing beings, something about the feeling of her blades sinking into the thick sinew of muscle unnerved her, causing her to not follow through. Even if it's against minions of darkness.

Meanwhile, on Amy's side, colorful explosions can be seen striking the pair of Ursi. It seems she has everything under control.

This made Jade clutch her fans more intently. If Amy can handle two of these creatures by herself, she should at least manage one.

Jade inspected her opponent once more. The Ursa was now on all fours with a death-like stare directed at her, more cautious than before. Its nose flared angrily as it tries to find a moment to attack.

If she can't beat it through normal means, then she just need to change her tactics.

Again, Jade's fan glowed bright green, but instead of firing a scythe of wind, she threw them. They arced towards Ursa while shrouded in torrenting wind that somewhat distorted their image. The Ursa braced itself for the attack, but the spinning fans didn't strike it, at least not directly. They brushed the bear, leaving shallow cuts as the sharp wind brushed against its black skin, before zooming behind it. Wary about the fans, the bear turned to face where the speeding weapons, but that was its fatal mistake.

Now that the Grimm was distracted, Jade launched herself forward. Her flying fans, in response, spun in a large arc and began returning to their owners. The Ursa, mistaking the trajectory of the fans, stood up and attempted to swat at them only to miss completely as they land safely in Jade's hand.

Without breaking out of her running gait, she smoothly transitioned into a slide and slid between the Ursa's legs, doing a few quick swipes as she passed. Then, without a pause, she faced the Ursa once more, her arms crossed at her hips.

The two combatant faced each other once more before they both launched their attacks, the Ursa swinging its claws and Jade lunging forward. For a brief second, it looked like the bears claws will reach Jade first, but before they can connect, Jade kicked off the ground, assisted by her wind, and used her momentum to avoid its attack. Then, she swung both fans wide, the bladed edge of her fan digging into flesh.

Her hands tensed as she felt her blade sink into the meaty underbelly of the bear, but she knew now wasn't the time to feel squeamish. She mustered all the wind she could handle and channel it through her blade.

"Aaaaahhhhh!"

Jade screamed as she let loose all that concentrated wind along the tip of her fan.

Two large arc of wind sliced the Ursa and it was launched back several feet, black ooze spilling from the gash it created.

It wasn't result Jade was expecting - she thought that she could slice through the beast - but it worked out nonetheless.

Jade let out a sigh of relief, but her respite was short.

The proned Ursa, while extremely bloodied, was still alive. It let out a weak gurgle as it awkwardly tried to get back on its legs.

"Seriously?" Jade moaned, exhaustion clear in her voice. "How much damage can you take?"

She sluggishly readied herself once more to take it on, but it wasn't necessary.

Out of nowhere, a silver spear struck the side of the Ursa and pinned it to a nearby tree. With one final twitch, the Grimm finally fell limp and disintegrated into fine black powder.

Once the Grimm completely faded away, the spear quivered and detached itself from the tree, returning to its owner: Amy.

In her hands, the spear looked familiar somehow. It had a two-pronged tip with a jewel in the middle. However, in the middle of her thoughts, the spear transformed. The two prongs folded outward and the long shaft collapsed into a short rod, changing from the spear to the recognizable rod that she held earlier.

"Was that the first time you fought a Grimm?" Amy asked as she stowed her rod.

Jade drooped her head disappointingly. Sensing that her words might of hit a nerve, Amy played it off with a nervous laugh.

"Ahaha, fighting a Grimm for the first time can be difficult, but you definitely held your own."

Amy's compliment helped her mood, but she still felt that being able to defeat at least one Grimm was well within her ability as a Huntress. Realizing that she needed help just for a common Grimm like the Ursa damaged her confidence.

"I thought I could do it," Jade mumbled as she sat on the ground, face buried in her knees. "I thought maybe Professor Ozpin saw something in me that I didn't realize myself. And yet, after all that time preparing for this moment, I can't get a single thing right. Maybe it was a bad idea to come to Beacon after all."

Amy started to panic after seeing Jade fall into such a depressed state. She nervously fidgeted around trying to figure out what to say, but nothing came to mind. However, she knew she had to do something. So, she took a deep breath, slapped herself on the cheeks, and decided to just be herself.

"Don't say something like that. You are plenty qualified to be here. Like that move you did earlier, it was very effective!"

"Move? What do you mean?"

"You know, when you threw your fans! Your semblance must be wind affinity, right? The way you controlled your fans' trajectory to attack and distract that Ursa. That kind of attack was really awesome."

"Yes, but my semblance is...weak. I couldn't even cut the Ursa deeply. Same thing when we were launched from the cliff, it wasn't enough to stop my fall."

Amy pouted and placed her hands on her hips.

"Nonsense. It's not weak. Every semblance can be powerful if you just apply it in the right way. Like mine, for example. Being able to weave fabric has no combat potential, but with a little help, I can use it to fly."

Suddenly, as if an imaginary light bulb suddenly lit up, an idea popped into Amy's head.

"But if you really want to make your stronger, I have an idea."

Jade's ears perked up.

"That move where you threw your fans, do you have a name for it?"

Jade didn't understand where she was trying to take it, but answered nonetheless.

"A name? Not really. But it is based off a dance move I used to do."

She drew out both of her fans again and tossed them into the air. The wind surrounded them and they spun as they elegantly swirled around her.

"I called it the Dancing Blossoms."

Amy shook her fist up and down in excitement.

"That's perfect! Now are you ready for what I'm about to tell you?"

Jade leaned close in anticipation.

In a low voice, as if revealing some dark secret, Amy whispered in Jade's ears.

"When you plan on using that move, imagine the what the move does and then…"

Jade waited expectantly for what came next.

"...and then you yell out the name of that move!"

Jade gave her a look as if she went crazy.

"Trust me! See if you have a name attached to your signature attacks, you will have a stronger identity with that move, meaning that you can perform it much stronger than just doing it normally. The louder you shout, the stronger it is."

"Are you sure?" Jade asked skeptically.

"Definitely, I do it all the time," Amy replied, while nodding her head furiously.

Jade was still a little unsure, but she did have a point. When she was learning a dance, she often used names to associate with certain steps to make it easier to learn. Perhaps, that was the case with Huntsmen's as well.

Deciding to follow through with it, Jade took a deep breath a face a tree some distance away. She readied her fans on focus her wind in them. She pictured the movement of her fans in her mind and the name associated with the move. Then, releasing the build up of air in her lungs, she yelled out her attack.

"DANCING BLOSSOMS!"

Jade threw both fans and they whizzed through the air along the path she had imaged. They struck the tree she was facing, flew some distance further before returning back to her hands.

She did feel a surge of energy when she screamed out the move, but when inspecting the result, it didn't look like there was any major difference.

"Hmmm, I don't think it made any dif…"

Jade turned around to see Amy slamming her fist into a tree while suppressing her hysterical laughter.

A few minutes passed.

"Hahaha, oooh, I can't believe you actually went through with that," Amy cried as she walked, wiping away the last bit of tears from laughing too hard.

Meanwhile, Jade was a few feet in front of her with her arms crossed and cheeks puffed out in a pout.

"That was a mean thing to do. I actually believe you."

"Awww, I said I'm sorry. You just looked so adorable when you thought it worked. And besides…"

Amy got in front of Jade with her bright cheery grin.

"...it got your mind off of that depressing stuff, didn't it."

Jade couldn't refute that. After being deceived like that, she was too angry to be depressed by her own ineptitude. It was still in the back of her mind, but she can now focus on more pressing issue.

"So, you say a shrine is nearby?" Jade asked, changing the topic.

Amy nodded.

"Yup, it shouldn't be too far from here. Hopefully, Diamon will be there. Who knows, maybe your brother as well."

"Yeah, hopefully."

From there, the two walked in silence, each thinking about the partner they came to Beacon with. Each hoping they are okay.


	4. Teamed Up: Part 1

**Author's Note: Whew it's been a while since I uploaded. Been super busy so I haven't been motivated or had the time to write, but I wanted to get something out. It's not much, but I will try my best to get the rest out soon.**

* * *

"Thirty one other students. Out of all that, he had to be the first one I meet. Oh, what inimical deed have I done to deserve such fate."

These were the inner grumblings of one indignant Diamon as he strolled languishly through the forest.

Walking in front of him in a steady, purposeful pace, was a casually dressed boy with black disheveled hair. It was the last person he wished to come in contact with: Yu Evergreen.

How did he find himself in this predicament?

During his descent from the cliffs, he had spotted a clearing where a shrine was located and signalled to Amy rough coordinates where they should land. However, as they were approaching the tree line, she suddenly veered off course. Already too close to the ground, he was unable to react quick enough and they ended up seperated. Once landed, he mulled over what his next plan of action will be and decided to head to the shrine he saw earlier. But that proved to be his fatal mistake. Not two minutes into his journey did he stumble across Yu who was standing by himself observing his surroundings.

Thus they ended up together.

"Hmm, the location of the shrine appears farther than expected. Perhaps if we have a vantage point we can make out where we are going. What do you think?"

Even though Diamon directed his words at Yu, he wasn't interested in his opinion. He just wanted his silent companion to say something. Anything.

When the two first met up, Diamon had made many attempts to start a conversation. From trying to get to know him better to remarking about their surrounding, Diamon just wanted the mute boy to open up a little during their otherwise silent and dull journey. But Yu never reciprocated.

And this time, like every other attempt, Yu ignored Diamon.

Well, that wasn't 100% true. While he didn't verbally acknowledge his idea, Diamon did noticed he subtly changed directions so that they are now heading up an incline.

 _So he's listening, just not responding._

Diamon wasn't sure whether to be glad or insulted by his behaviors.

The two continued their silent trek up the incline. Their pace wasn't any different from before, but Diamon can definitely feel the burn on his calves from the climb.

Soon, the forest started thinning as they climb higher and a clearing can be seen a short distance away. Diamon's pace increased as he eagerly marched towards the crest of the hill, but as he was about to pass Yu, Yu reached out and blocked his path.

"Wha-"

Diamon's indignation was interrupted by a piercing howl. At first, he thought the howl belong to a wolf, but after listening more closely, he knew that wasn't the case. It felt too sinister. Lacking any of the impartiality of normal wildlife.

The two Huntsmen were now alert and creeped up the last few meters of the hill before ducking behind a bush.

They were on the edge of a small cliff, the hillside eroded from flowing water. Below was a small open field with a indented lane of dirt and rocks, a riverbed created during the rainy season. However, what stood along the banks of the riverbed was what caught their attention.

There were 10 or so Beowolves, black wolf-like Grimm, staring at a crumpled form of a deer in the middle of the riverbed. The deer looked severely hurt with several bite marks, clearly from the Beowolves, along its torso. It seemed that as the deer fled from its assailant, it stumbled across the uneven rocky ground and fell on its side.

"A rather regrettable event we are witnessing," Diamon whispered solemnly as they watched the pack of Beowolves inch closer to the fallen deer. "But this does play to our advantage."

Diamon pointed left, down the dried riverbed where it curved behind a thicket of trees.

"I believe our destination is over there. If we hug along the cliffside while those beast are distracted, we should get there without any costly confrontations."

Without waiting for Yu's response, he started inching towards that direction.

"Are we just leaving the Grimm alone?"

This startled Diamon as it was the first time he heard Yu said anything to him. He turned around to witness Yu give him an intense glare.

Annoyed by everything that had happened since they landed and that Yu took until now to say something, Diamon angrily shuffled back.

"Yes, because that is not our current assignment. If you recall, we are taking an exam. And that exam is to acquire a relic. If our task was to eliminate Grimm or they are obstructing our goal, gladly. But right now they are not in our way. Taking on extraneous obstacles will just hamper our evaluation."

The two were locked in a staring contest, but Yu suddenly dropped his gaze, then look back at the scene below.

Feeling as if he won, he proudly puffed out his chest.

"Good, now follow me and we will be out of here in no time."

Without another look, Diamon returned to his original plan, failing to realize that Yu wasn't paying any attention. Instead, he was staring intently at the Beowolves.

The Beowolves have finally reach the fallen deer, forming a semi-circle around it. One amongst the Grimm stepped forward and took a sniff. In response, the injured deer's leg twitched in fright and its eyes bulged as it realized it imminent doom. It's chest heaved rapidly and a faint whimpering sound came from its mouth. Sensing the fear from its prey, the Beowolf arced its head high and issued a mighty howl, before lunging at it with its sharp fangs.

But before his fangs reached its target, its head suddenly shattered, spraying black ooze across the mud.

"What the-"

Diamon spun around at the sound of impact. Before him, stood Yu, upright, with a large compact bow drawn and his right hand pulled back as if just letting go of the bowstring. But what caught his attention the most were his maddened eyes, faintly glowing green, and a look that exudes primal fury.

"Yu, what-"

But it was too late to reason with him. With a bellowing scream, Yu leapt over the cliffside and pulled his bowstring once more. A silvery line formed between where he drew the bow and a what appears to be a revolver cylinder above where his left hand held the bow. He released the bowstring and the silvery line shot forth straight into a companion of the beheaded Beowolf.

At this point, the Grimm were quite aware of Yu and prepare to strike back.

However, Yu didn't give them the initiative. He landed on the soft earth of the hill and went into a roll to break his fall. As he transition from his roll into a sprint, his bow collapsed, the two side folding inward while two blades extend forth, transforming into a two-pronged katar. Using the momentum, he drove his blade into the nearest Beowolf, the blade going completely through the beast's belly and out the beast's back. Without missing a beat, he did a quick spin, causing his blade to tear through the now dead Beowolf's side before finding its mark again on a nearby living one. Before he knew it, there were four dissolving Grimm corpses at his side.

Now it was the Grimm's turn to react. Seeing a lone prey amongst them, they all let out a nasty snarl and pounced at the seemingly vulnerable Yu.

But how wrong they were. As they approach, Yu's eyes darted rapidly, analyzing the movement of each leaping figure. Then, crouching down, he ran towards the nearest target. Everything after that went by in a flash.

Like chain lightning, Yu rapidly dashed between targets, striking each once before moving on to next. The Beowolves attempted to swipe at the nimble figure, but as if predicting their attacks, he dodged every swipe by a narrow margin.

There was no wasted movement in Yu's action. Everything planned, every strike clean. Nothing short of perfection.

When he finally stopped, all that remained was a lone Beowolf, tattered after enduring Yu's assault. It was backing away cautiously after witnessing his destructive force.

Yu transformed his Huntsman weapon back into a bow, not planning on letting the beast escape, but it turned out it wasn't necessary as Diamon came slamming down on the Beowolf's head.

On his right arm was a round shield made of white crackling energy. The energy seemed to originate from the gauntlet on his arm that has a circular bulge with a large cross-shaped diamond at the center.

The shield made a sparking sound as the edge impacted against the Beowolf's neck, snapping it, before it fell to the ground, dead.

Diamon got off the deceased Grimm, his expression livid.

"What in god's name was all that about!?"

Yu did not heed his outburst. Instead, he approached the fallen deer.

Upon closer inspection, it was more ragged than what he initially thought. Claw marks ran through its entire body and blood flowed from its wounds in short pulses, matching the rhythm of its heaving breath. It's eyes were murky and moved slowly as it tries to focus on the person before it. Its once kicking legs now only twitch from time to time.

Yu took all this in without a single change in expression. Then, with one swift motion, he plunged his weapon in the dying beast's chest and with one final twitch, the last ember of the deer's life faded away.

As he extricate his blade, a hand suddenly grasp the back of his hoodie and threw him backwards. His back struck the mudied ground, but using his training, he used the force of his fall to roll into a crouched position.

And then he made eye contact with Diamon, now glaring at him with such intense rage.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!? Why did you kill the deer? It was still alive! There was still a chance to save it."

Yu maintain his aloof demeanor, unflinched by Diamon's intensity. He took a brief glance at the carcass.

"It was already at death's door. What I did relieved it of its suffering."

"And you think that was the right thing to do?"

Diamon's current flustered face and tense breathing were uncharacteristic for his usual uptight and calm self. All the pent up frustration since landing had spilled forth when he witness Yu's action. And recognizing that he was being a little too animated, he took some deep breath to collect himself.

"Says the man who ignored the Grimm," Yu retorted under his breath. But Diamon heard it.

Diamon's chest rose as he was about to explode again, but kept himself in check. After taking another deep breath, he responded.

"A choice I made reluctantly. I believe my decision to be neither right nor wrong, but the result of our circumstances. I simply prioritized our evaluation, which we were given a clear safe route, over a risky venture to play hero that may or may not prove fruitless. Furthermore, costly engagements now will lessen our combat strength for the second portion of the test."

He shot Yu a glare that showed his disgust.

"While I applaud your decision to take the more righteous route, I cannot condone your approach. If your goal was to rescue the deer, as thoughtless it may be, I would have lauded you. But to save the deer from imminent death, only to end its life with your own hand...without remorse...without trying anything as if it was a far gone conclusion…"

He tightened his fist until the white of his knuckles are showing.

"Your actions are no different than if we left it to the Grimm!"

His last few words seemed to gotten a reaction from Yu. At the mention of Grimm, his eyebrows furrowed and his usual deadpan expression shifted into a nasty snarl.

"Don't you dare patronize me. You who sit upon a silver throne will never understand the brutality of Grimm. What I did was a mercy."

"Perhaps that may be so, but I don't need my upbringing to understand are unfit of a Huntsman. You are reckless and unsympathizing. Your purpose may be virtuous, but I can tell the path you walk are far from the pure ideals of a Huntsman."

He then pointed emphatically at Yu.

"You are the type of person I despise the most. You have no right to be in a school like Beacon."

"Tsk. Whatever. Like I care about what you think."

Fed up with the conversation, Yu turned to leave.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?"

Yu pause and gave Diamon a brief glance.

"Where I should have gone. To eliminate any Grimm in my path."

As he took his first step away, Diamon reached forward to grab his shoulder. However, sensing his approaching hand, Yu nimbly ducked from his grasp and spun around, his bow drawn...pointing at Diamon.

Instinctively, Diamon raised his gauntlet arm and the white shield made of energy crackled to life.

The two stood facing each other, stock still and tensed, waiting for the first move. Yu held his bow taunt, a glowing arrow made of light directed at Diamon's head, while Diamon ready his shield to block whatever projectile might fly his way. They stood like this in silence, the only sound being the rustling trees and the incessant cawing of a distant crow.

"Hmmph, ever since we've met, I had a feeling something like this might happen," Diamon huffed angrily.

"That makes two of us."

A minute passed with the two locked in their deadlock. But then, as the background noise fade, Yu released his fingers, sending his arrow loose.


	5. Teamed Up: Part 2

Professor Ozpin stood over the cliff precipice, staring intently at the valley forest below while sipping his now lukewarm coffee. Beside him, Glynda Goodwitch kept her hawk-like eyes glued to her tablet where several video feedback of the students are displayed. It's been fifteen minutes since the students were launched from the cliff and many of them had found a shrine.

"How are you holding up?" Ozpin directed his question to Glynda.

She looked up briefly, somewhat startled at headmaster's call, before returning her gaze back to her tablet.

"I'm still getting used to all the procedures and protocols, but otherwise I'm fine, thank you."

Her words were icy as her glare, but Ozpin didn't seem to mind. Instead, he let out a chuckle.

"Your teammates miss you greatly, you know. They were quite shocked when you suddenly chose to become a teacher. Frankly, I was a bit too, but I'm glad you stayed."

Glynda rolled her eyes while still immersed in the live feed.

"Please Professor, there is no need of flattery. We both know the real reason why I stayed. Revealing the truth like that, you knew I would stay, given the choice or not."

"Hmmm, perhaps."

Glynda let out a long sigh.

"Besides, considering I already did most of your secretarial work while a student, this just seemed to be the most natural choice of profession."

"And for that I am grateful."

Ozpin went for another sip of coffee, but as his lips touched the mug, he realized it was empty and a slightly disappointed expression crossed his face. Not taking her eyes off the tablet, Glynda raised the wand at her side and made a quick gesture. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a flowery porcelain kettle emerged and began pouring steaming hot coffee into Ozpin's mug. After the mug was full, the kettle floated away the same way it came. Ozpin took a whiff of the fresh coffee and his expression changed to one of mild content.

One could tell by the fluidity of this process that it was a situation which occurred often.

But as the kettle disappeared, Glynda's expression suddenly changed. Something had been bothering her and now that she was distracted from her duties monitoring the students, she felt this was the appropriate time to bring it up.

"I must ask, Professor…"

"Please, call me Ozpin, you are not a student no longer. We stand on equal grounds."

"Right...Ozpin. What I wanted to ask was what prompted the changes for the freshmen initiation?"

Ozpin turn to Glynda with a raised eyebrow. She continued.

"Just from my own experience, every year's initiation was always the same: find a relic and return to the cliff. Why change now?"

Ozpin didn't reply right away. However, in the silence, Glynda could tell Ozpin's mood shifted from lackadaisical to stern and serious.

"I'm sure you are aware. Grimm activity has been rising these last few years."

"Yes, a fact we are reminded constantly on the news."

Glynda suddenly froze, her wide in shock. Something about the way Ozpin said that felt odd, leading her to a certain conclusion. She looked towards him for confirmation.

"Don't tell me. Are you saying she…"

She did not finish her sentence, but Ozpin knew what she was hinting at.

He simply nodded.

"...I see."

"You seemed to handle the news quite well," Ozpin remarked, quite surprised by Glynda's nonchalant acceptance of the situation.

"No, everything you've done recently made much more sense if it involves her. For example…"

Glynda opened another application on her tablet, this one showing profiles of students. She quickly typed something into a command line and a shorter list of students appeared. Selecting the first one brought up a image of a girl with fiery red hair and eyes.

"The Royal Flush. You had never gone out of your way to invite someone to Beacon personally before, especially with a free ride scholarship. I understand that every Huntsman Academy wishes to have the best students, but your approach was, how should I put, aggressive."

"Hmmm, how perceptive of you."

"So what, you are buying exceptional Huntsman-in-training and pitting them against each other? I didn't take you for a sadist. And your goal? Are you trying to build an army?"

At this, Ozpin scoffed, but not in a offended way, more in humor.

"Please, don't compare me to Ironwood. Building an army means training soldiers, and soldiers imply following orders. I am simply preparing them for the future, so they are equipped to choose their path once the darkness comes. And it will come. I chose the Royal Flush, and the other invitees, because I believe they will be the spearhead of the new generation. The beacon of light against the encroaching dark."

Ozpin satisfactorily answered most of Glynda's complaints, but there was something else still bothering her. She flipped down the list of those who were invited to Beacon through scholarship and pulled up two profiles at the bottom. Two faces appeared, a boy and a girl, their face eerily similar yet different.

"Then, how do you explain these two?"

Ozpin saw the two faces and his face lit up in blissful happiness. An expression that greatly annoyed Glynda for some reason.

"Ah, yes. The twins. Let's just say they are an experiment."

"An experiment?"

Ozpin nodded, but provide no further explanation.

Glynda let out a huff and tried to press for more information, but stopped herself at the last second. At that moment, the sharp caw of a crow caught her attention. She went back to her monitoring application and flipped through the different feed until stopping on a particular one. On screen, Yu stood opposed to Diamon, his weapon directed at him.

In a quiet voice, Glynda softly murmured to herself.

"A mentally unstable boy with exceptional Huntsman skills."

Then she pulled up another feed where Jade was walking behind Amy with a sullen expression.

"And a fine arts girl with no credible Huntsman training."

She let out an exasperated sigh. She knew that trying to figure out Ozpin's intention is a taxing ordeal, so she prefer not to think on it too much. But, despite his enigmatic schemes, she trusted his decisions. No matter how odd or crazy, she knew they all serve a greater purpose. And so, she kept her eyes on the screen, tracking the twin's progress like a hawk.

"Show me. Show me why you caught his attention."

* * *

The cawing of a crow catches Jade's attention, causing her to stop momentarily.

"What are you standing still for, the shrine should be close. Come on!"

"Sorry."

Amy's urging snapped Jade back to reality and she quickly caught up to her as they wade through the underbrush.

Soon, the thick forest shrubbery relented and the two walked into a clearing.

"Ooooh, look Jade, look. There's the shrine! I told you!"

Sure enough, as Jade and Amy stepped merged from the brush, there was a stone structure standing some 50 feet away.

The shrine itself was more like ruins. The stone was weathered and covered in moss. Sections of it had collapsed leaving small stone pieces strewn across a circular stone platform in which the shrine stands. However, in the middle of the ruins, there were three short pedestals that stood out. Probably because they were made from a shiny metallic substance, clean and unadulterated, amidst the sea of dilapidation.

Amy, drawn to the outlier, quickly rushed ahead to check it out.

"Oooh, this is interesting," Amy said as Jade finally caught up to her.

Amy pointed at something on the pedestal. Encased by glass, was a milky green stone in a flat circular shape. The color wasn't consistent, with a wide hue of green and white swirling inside as if a liquid substance frozen in that shape.

"Do you know what this is?" Amy asked, her mouth arced in a sly smile to express that she knew exactly what it was.

Jade shook her head. It wasn't any kind of Dust she had seen, so assumed this must be a gem instead. However, while she never seen any gems before - at the very least never consciously recognizing something to be a gem - there was something entrancing about this jewel. Something familiar and soothing.

"You're named after it. It's a jade!"

Jade looked at Amy, dumbfounded, before returning her gaze to the stone. It was true that she and her brother were named after a green stone, but she never seen one in person. Or so she believed. But the feelings she felt when looking at it made her trust in Amy's words.

"What a big coincidence, huh?" Amy continued.

"Yeah…"

"But how do we get it out?"

At Amy's question, Jade began to inspect the pedestal. On either side of it, there was two scanner of some sort. Jade recognized these as door scanners that she had seen around campus. This gave her an idea, so she took out a small rectangular metal object from her hip pouch: her scroll.

This tiny device, unassuming it may seen, is actually one of the most important tools for any member of urban society, especially a student. Provided once a child is first enters into school, not only does it serve as a multimedia communication tool, it carries the very identity of the person who owns it. From personal identification to financial status to even personal health, this device carries everything that defines who you are. To lose this is tantamount to not existing. Well, at least not in the eye of modern urban infrastructures. But that is another story for another time.

In this scenario, it served another purpose.

Jade brought her scroll up to the scanner and an intense green light flickered on the scanner. Then, there was a quiet beeping sound before text appeared on the top portion of the machine.

It read:

 _ID: Jade Evergreen. Accepted._

Seeing this play out, Amy did the same thing with her scroll. After she got the same approval message, another light lit up, this time on the pedestal where the jade was displayed. After a pause, the glass casing slid open, exposing the gem, and Amy quickly snatched it.

Delighted, Amy rushed to the other side of the temple where another green crystal, which Jade could tell was a standard Dust crystal, was encased. However, when putting her scroll against the scanner an angry beep played and a message that stated "Error: ID already used" appeared.

"Aww, they really thought this through."

She looked disappointingly at the locked Dust crystal, then at the larger pedestal between the two. On this one, there were two slots, clearly meant for the jade and the Dust. With a sigh, she plopped down leaning against this larger pedestal.

"Well, looks like we just have to wait for another pair to show up."

With nothing else to do, Jade joined her.

They sat in silence for a minute, Amy staring at the jade in her hand and Jade quietly listening to the sound of nature, when Amy suddenly made a strange comment.

"Did you know, jade symbolizes luck, harmony, and balance."

"Huh?"

Amy held the piece of jade between them.

"Jade, known as the stone of healing. It is believed to have calm and soothing properties. Having one close to your heart will calm your turmoils and ward off negative energies in your daily life."

With a bright smile, she then took Jade's hand and place the small green stone in it.

"Green. Calm. Elegant. You share some similarities with this."

Jade was a little moved by her compliment, but she felt the stone was a bit too perfect to describe someone like her. She look at her namesake stone, then back at Amy.

"I didn't know you knew so much about gems."

Amy laughed.

"I blame Diamon. He's so vocal about his love for gems. Just droning on and on until I get the information stuck in my head. It's like he wanted the whole world to understand the beauty of them. But I guess that's pretty normal for the heir of a jewelry company."

Jade chuckled as well. She could easily imagine Diamon being that kind of person based on the interaction he and Amy had. But something about what she said bothered her.

"Hmm, if he is so infatuated with gems why become a Hunstman?"

Jade's question caught her off guard. Cracks start to form on her usually bubbly personality, revealing some turmoil beneath. However, she quickly covered it up as she attempted to answer Jade's question.

"Well, he does want to take over his family's company. But there is a tradition in his family where an heir must prove his or her strength and integrity before taking over. Being a certified Huntsman fits that description, don't you think?"

"Eh, so you can attend an Huntsman Academy even if you don't intend to become a Huntsman?"

This seemed to surprise Amy more than it did Jade.

"Yeah, of course. Learning to defend against Grimm is an essential a skill as, let's say, math. Just because we take advance math courses doesn't mean we want to be mathematicians. Math is a large spectrum that we only take what is necessary for our goals. Same with Huntsman training. While the primary goal of the Huntsman Academy is to train Huntsman, there are many students who wish to apply their knowledge for other purposes. There are many path one can take at Beacon other than being a Huntsman."

Jade fell silent as she process this knowledge. Everything she said made sense. And for some reason, knowing that there were more option than becoming a Huntress somewhat relieved her.

"Then, what about you? What did you come here for?"

"Me?"

Amy gave an embarrassed look. She knew that Jade would naturally reach that question. After ruminating over the question, she decided to answer truthfully.

"Well, I came along for the ride. I didn't come with any grand aspiration of the future. Diamon insisted I come with him since I always beated him during training at school, but I don't have some burning passion to become a Huntress. You could say I'm in a similar situation you are, chasing after a boy's coattail with no plans for the future."

Jade didn't appreciate the wording Amy used, but she understood her feelings. Not knowing what to do, where to go, what you want. These insecurities eats at your heart when the people around you have that sense of direction you lack.

 _At least, I had a clear direction up until a few years ago,_ Jade thought.

Then, suddenly, she had an epiphany.

"You know, I was often told that our semblance are often an reflection of our personality and identity, that they help us discover who we are. My semblance helped me in dancing. And you, your semblance lets you manipulate your clothes into all sorts of designs, right?"

Amy saw where she was taking the conversation.

"That's right. And if you are suggesting I go into fashion, I had already considered becoming a seamstress at some point. I mean, if I could make all the cute clothes I want, that sounds like a dream come true."

But then, she made an embarrassed laugh.

"However, like most things, it never pans out the way I imagine. The designs I have in my head just never looks right when I draw it out. And don't get me started on sewing. Let's just say, they don't look great unless I can affect it with my semblance."

"But you never know until you put in the effort."

"Yeah, I'm sure if I put in a lot of time it might work out, but it's not just about skills. I'm don't have the patience or focus for that sort of work. I'm more of a 'go with the flow' kind of gal."

"I'm not saying keep trying at it. Like you said before, there are more than one path to take at Beacon, why not apply it to yourself as well? Maybe you can find a way to utilize your semblance for your goal. I know that when I was learning to dance, we were told that infusing our semblance into our dance will make it unique. However, because my semblance was so weak, there was a limit to what I can do with it. That didn't stop me, though. Instead of creating grandiose spectacles, I used my limited power to make subtle effects, to draw the audience to my movement rather than the effect. And over time, I manage to control my semblance with precision rather than strength."

To demonstrate this, Jade called upon her semblance and lifted a nearby fallen leaf. Using subtle finger movements, she made the leaf dance in the air, like a lively fairy in a magical forest. It stood upright and flitted between Amy and Jade excitedly, as if trying to catch their attention, before going into a bout of spins and twirls that would be impossible for a leaf under normal circumstances. Its little stem bent like knees and its leafy section contorted like a torso. It really was hard to believe that such soulless object could display such expressive movements.

And through the whole dance, Jade had a bright smile on her face, recalling her own experiences through the leaf's dance. But as quickly as she brought the leaf to life, she dispelled her semblance and the leaf lazily drifted back to the ground, lifeless.

She then continued with her advice, a little deflated after letting the leaf loose, but still upbeat.

"You may have trouble following that dream of yours through normal methods, but I'm sure there are many ways you can use your semblance to follow your dream. You just have to find it."

As Jade finished her sentence, she clasped hands with Amy. Coincidentally, the jade was in hand when she went to hold Amy's hand, so when Jade finally let go, the jade transferred hands again. Amy looked at Jade in surprise for her strangely uplifting message, then at the jade in her hand before bursting into laughter.

"Haha, I take that back, your name fits you perfectly."

Jade tilted her head in confusion at her words, but she made no attempt to elaborate. Instead, she offered her thanks.

"You know what, when you say it like that, I feel like I could do it."

Jade was glad she could help. But at the same time, seeing how cheery Amy was after discovering a purpose, reminded her of her own happiness while she was a dancer. But sadly, that was the her in the past. Now, just thinking about dancing just brings pain and sadness. Jade couldn't help, but feel the irony in her advice. She told Amy to continue her pursuit of her wish yet she was the one that gave up on hers. It brought about a deprecating chuckle out of her, one that Amy luckily didn't pick up on.

However, she didn't dwell too long on such thoughts, as a loud crashing sound rang somewhere nearby.

Both girls perked up at the sound and stood up, drawing their weapons. But to their surprise, it wasn't some Grimm or other wildlife that emerged from the forest. Instead, the large frame of Diamon rocketed out from the thicket. He flew like a missile before hitting the ground, bounced a few times, and then come skittering to a halt close to the shrine.

"Diamon?!"

Amy yelled in confusion as she went to her companion's side.

"What's going on? Who did this to you."

Diamon did not speak, merely groaned in pain. He lifted his finger and pointed in the direction in which he came. And from where he pointed, Yu emerged, his bow drawn and hostile intent in his eyes.

"Yu?"

Jade was the first to speak up. She looked at Diamon then back at her brother.

"Why are you doing this?"

However, Yu didn't react. Either he was too preoccupied to hear or he simply ignored her.

"Probably on another team," Amy said as she brought her weapon, now in its spear form, ready.

"Wait!"

This plea didn't came from Jade. Rather, the girls' surprise, it was Diamon who said this as he grabbed onto Amy's shoulder to lower her weapon.

"You are misunderstanding the situation. It is not what it looks like."

Jade and Amy looked at the now kneeling Diamon in confusion, but a sudden roar that sounded like a horn caught their attention.

From the forest, another entity emerged. A large Grimm to be exact. However, it wasn't any ordinary-looking Grimm. It took a tortoise like form, but instead of having the bone like appendages of other Grimm, everything appeared to be made of stone. The shell was mostly made of slate-like rocks with some larger more shapely rocks extending from the otherwise smooth texture like spikes. It's legs were also made of stone, but there is no physical limb that attaches it to the main body. It just floated alongside the rocky shell while black smoky tendrils snaked out from a small orifice where a leg normally would come from and wrapped around the stone leg. As for its head, it didn't have one. But within the gap where a head would extend from was a bone white mask with a circular red bead at its center.

As this monstrosity emerged, Yu turned around and fire several energy arrows at it. The projectiles harmlessly bounced off and the Grimm continued forward, unfazed. Yu clicked his tongue and continue his retreat.

"What is that thing?" Jade asked his now exonerated brother.

However, it was Diamon who answered.

"That's the possession-type Grimm known as a Geist. A rarely seen Grimm. They are generally territorial and easily avoided, but SOMEONE had to provoke it."

Diamon gave Yu, who was still distracted by the Grimm, a sharp glare as he punctuated the word "someone."

Sensing some drama between the two, Amy had to ask.

"What...happened between you two?"

Diamon let out a tired sigh. He analyzed how long it will take for the Grimm to catch up before talking.

"Oh, have I a tale to tell…"

* * *

 **Author's Note: So I decided to break chapters into smaller chunks as a friend pointed out the first couple chapters were pretty long. This chapter is especially long so expect a Part 3 soon.**


	6. Teamed Up: Part 3

Fifteen minutes earlier.

An arrow made of Dust energy shot forth from Yu's bow. It flew true, speeding towards Diamon at an incredible speed. Even so, Diamon reacted to the approaching bolt by lifting his energy shield to where he assessed the arrow will strike. And as his adrenaline kicked in, he could see it inching closer and closer.

But it never struck him nor his shield. Instead, it went whizzing by his ears. For a split second, Diamon swore the arrow curved as it shot at him, but he did not have time to analyze the moment as the sound of the arrow shattering on some object behind him caught his attention. Alarms went off in his head when he finally realized that while he was distracted with Yu, some large entity had crept up behind him.

Quickly turning around to meet his assailant, he came face to face with a large tortoise-like Grimm made of rocks. A moment of panic washed over him as he gazed at such a strange Grimm, but it quickly passed as his intellects kicked in and deduced the truth behind this rock monstrosity.

A Geist. If his training taught him anything, when they possess an object, they are extremely tough to beat but tend stay their ground. Not something he could beat by himself even if he were to include Yu's fighting strength. The best option would be to retreat and move around it, but sadly, the Grimm was directly in front of their path to the shrine. Taking a detour now would be costly. If no other choice, they need to push past it. The question left remaining would be what this tortoise can do.

However, as Diamon was processing all this information, he felt a heavy pressure on his shoulders. Looking up, he sees Yu using his back as a springboard to launch himself into the air.

"Raaaagh!"

With a yell, Yu lunged at the tortoise with his bow in blade-form, but it only clang against its hard rocky shell. That didn't deter him, though, as he continuously struck at the shell, trying to find a chink in its armor. While his blade ripped chunks of rocky bits off, it did not do any major damage.

The tortoise Grimm, annoyed at Yu's attack, starts to shake violently. Yu got launched from its back, but he quickly recovered and rushed at it again. Realizing that he couldn't pierce its outer shells, he tried a different approach. He struck at the dark tendrils that linked its body to the rock that made up its legs. Upon severing the connection, it did lose its balance momentarily before more tendrils reattached the piece back.

"Tch."

He clicked his tongues at this latest failure, but before he could try again, the tortoise brought its limbs close and started rumbling. Sensing danger, Yu jumped away just as small jagged rocks came blasting out from its plated shell.

But it wasn't finished. After its hail of rocks, it folded its legs into its shell and the slates that formed its underbelly rose up and covered every orifice until just the rock shell remained. Then, it started rotating. Slowly, at first, but quickly built up speed before finally shooting forward angrily towards Yu.

Yu leapt away from its path, mud and grass torn by the spinning shell splashing all over him.

However, he wasn't safe yet as the shell made a large roundabout and came at him again. Still a little disoriented from collateral damage, he wasn't fully prepared for the second rush.

But as the shell approached, a blue sparkle flashed by in Yu's peripheral, striking the ground next to the spinning shell's path. From its impact point, large ice crystals formed, partly obscuring the shell. Without any signs of slowing, the shell struck the pillar of ice with a large screeching sound like metal grinding against metal before it was knocked off its course. The shell crashed into a thicket of trees where it finally stopped and transformed back into its tortoise form, seemingly disoriented.

"Taking the reckless approach again, I see."

Now that Yu had some breathing room, he faced Diamon, who held a few glowing stones, each a different color, between his fingers. At first, he assumed they were Dust crystals, but quickly realized that these were gems.

"Aid me, memory of gems!" Diamon called out, his body glowing faintly, as he threw gems. Three gems - red, green, and blue - flew towards the Grimm leaving, each leaving an iridescent trail that twist and turned as they traced their respective gem's path. Then, when they struck the ground, a large multicolor explosion occurred, kicking up a storm of smoke and dust that completely shrouded the Grimm.

Then, he went to grab Yu's shoulder.

"Quickly, before it can recover. Let's move pass it."

Yu stared at Diamon, then at the Grimm, slowly becoming more visible as the smokescreen cleared up.

"Is that your answer to everything?" Yu remarked back snidely, shaking off the hand on his shoulder. "To run?"

"Only against an insurmountable force!" Diamon made a sudden angry outburst. Realizing he lost his cool again, he took a deep breathe to calm himself. "Retreat is not cowardly. To continue fighting in this situation is reckless and will only prove harmful."

At that moment a boulder was flung through the shroud, but Diamon reacted quickly and easily deflected with his shield. He then continued as if nothing happened.

"I'm not saying that we avoid this fight. Defeating this Grimm is one option available to us, but we need to evaluate our combat strength and find the safest option."

Yu scoffed at Diamon's words. Everything he said Yu found laughable. Sure, they may be logical, but that's just it. It is cold, hard logic, like a computer trying to figure out the ideal path from point A to B. But in the field, during a battle where chaos reigns, that wasn't going to cut it.

Another boulder came hurtling towards them, but this time Yu shot it down with his bow, shattering it into hundred of tiny pieces.

"I got another idea." Yu said mockingly, as if sarcastically, but being one hundred percent serious. "We take that thing out right now and figure things out as we go."

"Ugh, listen…"

"NO, YOU LISTEN!"

Yu's sudden loud outburst caught Diamon off guard, causing him to take a step back. Who wouldn't blame him? From all his interaction with him, he had been either complete silent or spoke in a soft low voice, while having the same apathetic look on his face. Now, his eyes glowed with fierce passion.

"Out in the wild, fighting the Grimm, anything and everything can happen. They will not wait for your 'plan' to destroy and slaughter everything in their path. If you don't strike first, it will be those around you that will suffer for it."

Yu was particularly firm in his words, as if speaking from experience. But, Diamon didn't relent.

"But charging in without any information of what you are fighting against will be the same. You will just be forfeiting your own life for nothing."

Getting frustrated, Yu pointed at the corpse of the dear in the riverbed.

"Back then, what if the deer was not an animal, but a person? What will you do then? Would you sit back and come up with a plan?"

Diamon was lost for words. If that deer was a person, what would he had done? Surely, he would have jumped in to help, but at the same time, he could not deny that the possibility Yu suggested. In the end, he could not judge his own reaction based on theoreticals. But more importantly, he did not want to acknowledge Yu's point.

"And what about you?"

"If a Grimm is in front of me, I will not hesitate to strike it down." Yu spoke without hesitation or deliberation and it baffled Diamon at how brazen he is compared to his own tailored responses.

At this point, the tortoise Grimm finally lost its patience and started to do its spin attack again. Seeing this, both Huntsman prepared themselves for the coming assault, but Diamon had something else to say.

"Even if it was beyond your capabilities? Even if you knew you don't stand a chance."

"Why do you think I'm here?" Yu responded. He gave Diamon a brief glance, displaying a conceited look, but also burning with passion and purpose.

"To make sure that will never happen."

Having said that, Yu brandished his weapon and rushed forward. Without hesitation, without fear, leaving a flabbergasted Diamon in his wake.

Diamon didn't respond at all, still reeling from Yu's final words. But as he collected himself, he unexpectedly chuckled.

This young man he met no more than a day ago. Hopelessly unsociable. Lacking in any sense and without any sympathy. The complete opposite of who he is. All this time, he just read him wrong. His dismissive attitude and disregard of Huntsman ideal wasn't out of malicious intent...

"Turns out you're just an idiot," Diamon laughed. His words did not reach Yu, but that's ok, he was mostly talking to himself anyways. "As I thought, I don't like you one bit. But I can tell you have the resolve of a Huntsman. And for that, I redact my previous statement."

With that, Diamon charged forward, ready to fight as well.

* * *

"...and that's how we ended up here."

Diamon finish recounting the events leading up to their current situation. He looked towards Yu, who was still fending off the Grimm, and sighed.

"I tried to convince him to distract it enough for us to push past it, but he kept on attacking it to the point it got enraged and chased after us."

Jade felt a little sorry for him. She was well aware of Yu's "approach" when fighting, but for someone else to experience it, it was as if someone found a dirty little secret.

"Sorry."

Even though it was her brother, she still felt the need to apologize. Not out of shame for his behavior, more letting him know that this will be a recurring theme.

However, now was not the time to get sentimental as Yu came running towards them with a angry spinning shell chasing after him. The group frantically scattered as the Grimm blasted past them in a shower of dirt and pebbles, before coming to a halt some distance away.

"What's done is done. Right now we just need to kill this thing." Diamon grunted while dusting his white dress shirt of the grime.

Jade found it strange that despite how long they had been in the forest, Diamon's suit remained impeccably white. Even as he ran his hand across the dirt staining it, they seemed to slide off like water on wax paper, leaving not a single stain. But she quickly put such thoughts out of her head and focused on the current issue.

"What have you guys tried so far?"

"Well…"

"Shells difficult to crack, legs separable but easily replaced, nearly unstoppable while spinning." Yu interrupted Diamon's explanation both verbally and physically by inserting himself between the two. He appeared so suddenly, it nearly caused them to jump in fright. "But its face. It does everything to protect it."

Jade gave the distant Grimm another look and saw what he meant. The white mask tucked inside the crevice where a head would be looked very conspicuous. And to show proof, Yu fired an arrow at the mask which it blocked with one of its legs unnaturally fast.

If only they had a way to bring it into a vulnerable state.

Before Jade could finish her thought, the tortoise Grimm prepared its spinning attack again. Its legs folded into its body and started spinning, first slowly, then quickly building up speed, pulling the air into its rotation and forming a vortex. The trees around the creature spasm violently to the tumultuous wind, as if showing their fear.

Wait, wind?

Jade focused her concentration on the spinning current surrounding the Grimm. At first, she couldn't see anything other than the pulsating trees behind the Grimm, but slowly she could make out a faint black miasma surrounding it. One could call this the dark essence that constitute a Grimm. However, Jade wasn't just trying to make out this essence. Rather, she was using this to visualize the speed of the wind.

Doing some quick mental math, Jade came to a favorable conclusion. Perhaps, there was a way to beat it after all.

And at the same time, the Grimm launched its spinning form at the party.

Like before, the four Huntsmen dashed out of its path of destruction, but this time Jade analyzed the wind force as it blasted past her, which confirmed her previous findings.

"Diamon," Jade called out to his tall companion. "Could you knock the Grimm on its back?"

Diamon frowned.

"The thought did cross my mind, but it is difficult to predict how much force is needed to topple that beast." Then, after a brief glance at the Grimm, who was about to circle around for another attack, he grimaced as a certain thought flicked through his mind. "Furthermore, I am rather reluctant to stand in the path gigantic spinning rock that can tear through trees as if they were made of straw."

"What if I said I can ? Will you trust me?"

Diamon paused, thinking over her proclamation. At the same time, the Grimm came hurtling towards them once more, causing them all to jump out of the way again. An expression of annoyance flashed across his face as he answered Jade.

"Yes. If it means getting rid of this pest, I'll do whatever you ask of me."

The Grimm stopped once more, and Jade took this opportunity to relay her idea with the rest of the group. Amy gave a surprised looked, but quickly burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, bold! I like it."

Meanwhile, Yu doesn't react at all, but Jade caught the subtle nod which showed his willingness to follow along.

With everyone's acknowledgement, determination flared in Jade's eyes as she readied herself.

She drew her two fans, but this time she linked the base the fans together before unfurling them. The two semi-circle fans connected to become a full circle and section of the outer circle extended to reveal razor sharp edges. What once were two fans now became a chakram.

"Ah, if you had something that cool you shoulda shown me earlier." Amy fumed. Jade, having interacted with her enough, could tell she wasn't actually mad, just annoyed at missing out on something interesting, but childish way she said that still made Jade fell bad.

"Sorry, but using my weapon in this form can be physically taxing. I rather not use it like this unless absolutely necessary."

Amy mumbled something under her breath, but did not speak further as the tortoise Grimm prepare itself for another spin attack.

"You'll see what I mean soon enough," Jade assured Amy, and she nodded.

The two factions were now ready to face each other. Four eager Huntsman-in-training stared down the terrifying spinning form the Geist had possessed. It was a paradigm of good versus evil that had played out countless of time over the history of Remnant. And while this was just one drop in the ocean of battles Huntsman face against the darkness, this one was special to them. For this would be their first taste of the life of a Huntsman.

The two forces charged at each other. It looked like they were about to collide, but at the last moment, the party of four split to both side, Diamon and Jade went one side and Yu and Amy to the other. As the spinning shell passed, Jade held out her chakram so that its edge touched the shell. As expected, her weapon was knocked back by the force of the spinning shell, but that was her intention. The chakram started to spin furiously and wind started funneling into the weapon. Then, it started to emit a wispy green glow as the wind was converted into some form of energy.

Now was the time to put her plan into play, which revolved around comfirming three theories she came to from observing it.

First, while spinning, the Grimm could not possibly see where it was going. Each time it spun towards them, it always rushed at where it saw them last. And if it can't see where it was going while spinning…

"Yu, Amy!"

A plethora of energy bolts came streaking towards the Grimm. However, they just bounce harmlessly off its rapidly spinning body. But that was ok. It did what it was meant to do which was to get the Grimm to head in the direction where the shots were fired.

As this was happening, Jade concentrated on her chakram and surrounded Diamon with the wispy energy that she acquired.

It was a weird feeling. It started off feeling like being encompassed in wind, but as he grew accustomed to it, he realized his body felt extremely light.

"Whatever you just did feels amazing." Diamon exclaimed in astonishment, as he examined his body. However, despite this upgrade, he still had a nervous expression on his face. "Even so, I can't help but tense up when I imagine what I'm about to do."

Jade did feel some sympathy, but what they are about to do was absolutely necessary.

The second thing she figured out was it never made more than two pass before transforming back to its tortoise form. That means it can only spin for so long before reorienting itself.

The Grimm was now fully committed into its second run, which was directed towards Amy and Yu.

"Are you ready?" Jade asked Diamon, to which he replied with a long deep breath.

She took that as a yes, she activated her semblance and drew the wind into her chakram. It hummed with energy as it started to spin and pulsed bright green. Going into a throwing stance, she aimed her weapon at the Grimm. She made a mental countdown in her head, waiting for the opportune moment to topple it just before it will revert back. The moment approaches.

Three. Two. One

"Go!"

Jade tossed her chakrams, signalling Diamon to start, and he began running. Her chakram arced through the air, the green energy pouring out made it looked larger than its actual size. The chakram struck the shell at its base where the powerful wind surrounding the weapon collided with the tempest shrouding the Grimm. The opposing forces created a small explosion that tilted its shell so that it was now rolling on its side. This change in orientation also caused its path to shift, making it swerve right. Directly towards the approaching Diamon.

"Raaagh!"

With a battle roar, Diamon activated his energy shield, causing a large translucent white barrier to form around the gauntlet on his right arm. The shield was much larger than his usual form, taking on large rectangular shape instead of a circular one.

"You can do it. You can do it." Diamon repeated this mantra over and over as the Grimm draw closer.

Then, everything happened at once.

With a yell, Diamon went into a slide, his shield held forward. The monstrous Grimm collided into his shield, producing a high pitch screeching noise as its rocky surface grinded against the energy. And Jade, a short distance away, focus her concentration on the swirling wind created from the clash.

Beads of sweat poured from both Jade and Diamon as they struggled with their own pressing issue, but with a mighty scream, both used every once of strength to push against the literal weight on their shoulders.

Diamon's shield crackled then popped, creating a massive shockwave. The force blasted him back, causing him to tumble across the dirt. He struggle against this force of nature, his eyes squinting through debris flying in the air, so that he could confirm the result of his work.

But it was Jade's voice that ultimately revealed the results.

"It worked. Yu! Quickly!"

As Jade stated, their gamble paid off. The rocky shell, once tearing through the dirt, was now spinning a few feet off the ground. Diamon angling his shield like a ramp combined with the explosive force that Jade helped him deliver was enough to send it soaring into the air. But it was not over yet.

Yu drew an arrow from his quiver. At the tip was an unnatural looking bulge. He nocked this arrow, the bulge growing hot red as he pulled back, and sent it straight at the airborne Grimm. Another explosion occurred and the shell tilted pass the turning point.

It landed on the ground, at first spinning vertically like a wheel, but gravity soon kicked in and the top heavy shell finally fell on its back. As it skid to a halt - exactly the right time Jade predicted - its legs extended from its shell, with a look that amounted to what appears to be confusion if a mask could make such expression.

Now that it was vulnerable, Yu fired a few energy bolt at its exposed faceplate, but even still, the tortoise managed to protect its face by shifting the upper and lower section of its shell to cover its face.

But Jade accounted for that too. Because her third theory was that the bottom portion of its shell should be less thick from the constant grinding against all sorts of surfaces while spinning.

"AMY!"

"Roger!"

A purple streak shot up into the air, directly above the flipped tortoise. Amy floated above the creature momentarily, almost like a tennis ball at the apex of a serve, before rocketing down lightning fast, her spear pointing at the soft spot. Crackles of purplish energy shot out from her spear as if her spear was a bolt of lightning. Then, with a sickening cracking sound, her spear dug deep into the underbelly of the Grimm, the purple lightning tracing across cracks formed by the blow. After a moment, the entire underbelly shelling exploded, scattering large chunks of its rocky plates in all direction and revealing its bone white mask again.

Not a second after its face was revealed, Yu goes rushing towards the crippled Grimm, his qatar pointed at it like sharp pointed fingers. But as his blades were inches away, the mask suddenly disappeared, causing him to sink his weapon into lifeless stone. Then, out from its cracked underbelly, a ghost-like Grimm - a humanoid with its lower half being a wispy tail - emerged wearing the exact same mask as the tortoise Grimm. This was its true form, the Grimm known as a Geist.

"Aaaaaaah!" Yu yelled as he extricated his blade from the rock and attempt another swing, but it was too late. The Geist had flown too high for his weapon to reach and it just kept getting further and further.

A haunting cackle came from the Grimm as it believed it had escape their clutches, but it was wrong. Suddenly, a flying disc shot through the air and decapitated the fleeing Grimm. With an astonished gasp, the two pieces of its body fell, lifeless, and disintegrated before reaching the ground.

Yu and Amy, who witness all this, watched the disc curve through the air before returning to the hand of its owner: Jade.

The battle was finally over.

"Well, that was a thing."

Immediately after everything calmed down, Amy made such a cheery remark despite the state her team was in. Jade stood with her hand on her knees, breathing heavily and sweat pouring from her brow. Yu stood as stoically as usual off in his own and Daimon...laid on the ground completely still with his arms splayed out. He was still alive, as they could tell by the rising of his chest, but lacking any energy after such a stunt.

However, while no one shared Amy's energy, they all felt the sense of accomplishment in their own way.

After a moment to refresh, the team met up at the shrine once more where Amy explained the mechanism to the two boys who joined up with them. They opened the second pedestal with the Dust crystal and placed it in the center pedestal along with the jade the girls held. A mechanism clicked within the pillar and the two crystals were locked together on a circular disc that looked like a large amulet. Then a projector turned on and displayed a holographic message above it.

It read:

Find the sanctuary in time of yore,

Quoth the raven...

The message lingered for a few second before fading away. There was a quiet click and the amulet with the jade and Dust dropped into the little divot where it could be picked up. No one showed any signs of acquiring it so Jade took it upon herself.

"Soooo, what was that message for?" Amy asked to which Diamon let out a sigh.

"Hah, really Amethyst? We were told at the cliffs that there will be a riddle to lead us to the second half of our evaluation."

"Ahh, right...so what does the riddle mean?"

Diamon raised his hand in exasperation, but Jade decided to cover for him.

"'Sanctuary in time of yore?' Perhaps some sort of structure. And the second line...so some sort of large ruin?"

A hint of recognition danced across Amy's face. She looked at Diamon and he nodded.

"During the drop, we did see a large temple-looking ruin to the north. Perhaps it means that."

"Hmm, I can't think of anything else, so let's try that."

"Let us make haste, then. Every second lost will affect our score."

The three all agreed on their course of action, but there was still one who hadn't said anything. Jade gave Yu an imploring look, expecting him to say something.

Instead of giving a reply, he walked off, much to Jade's chagrin. But after he was a short distance away he turned around to the other three Huntsman.

"Well, what are you standing around for? Weren't we going to the ruin?"

Jade's face suddenly lit up. Not because Yu replied, but because this was the first time she heard him say 'we' in such a long time. Hearing it gave her warm fluttering feeling in the stomach. She returned Yu's word with a happy nod.

"Mmmh!"

With a light skip in her steps, Jade followed suit with Diamon and Amy close behind.


	7. Chapter 5-1

Nearly an hour had passed since the exam began. So far there was no indication any other team had completed the exam, but with no way to judge how close the other teams may be, Jade, Amy, Yu, and Diamon trudge through the forest with anxious brisk. Thankfully, since their fight with the Geist, they had not encountered any more Grimm and, more importantly now that they are in a team of four, other teams. However, even if they were somewhat secluded, they were not lax in keeping an eye on their surroundings.

After about ten minutes of running, the forest started to thin then completely give way to an impressive sight. Before them was a series of crumbling stone structures lined on either side of what appeared to be a boulevard that led to a towering temple-like structure stood on top of deep gorge. Beyond the gorge was a cliff wall rising even higher than the temple. It was safe to assume that somewhere along that cliff was where they started this whole exam.

As for the temple itself, it gave off an ominous feel. The structure consisted of long thin columns of bleak gray mortar, thick with moss, that formed the structure's outline like a skeleton devoid of skin or muscle. On top of that, thick fog poured from the chasm, obscuring the base of the temple as well as part of the structures that line the boulevard in a hazy shroud.

Jade was still unsure if they were in the right place, but one thing she was certain of: this place was important for something.

"Well, do you see anything?"

It was Diamon who spoke first. The party scanned their area, but other than the crumbling stone structures, nothing stood out that might help them end their assessment.

"Perhaps inside that temple?" Diamon offered his suggestion. No one said a word, but they silently agreed and began walking towards the tall structure.

However, as they approach, Jade couldn't shake off the feeling that they were missing something. She recalled the riddle that led them here.

 _Find the sanctuary in time of yore,_

 _Quoth the raven..._

Now that she thought about it, the second line felt broken, as if there was a missing word. But what could it be?

Absorbed in her own thoughts, she ran into the back of her brother who suddenly stopped moving. Everyone eyed him in confusion, but one look at his sharp expression, they could tell something was amiss.

"We're not alone."

His curt words hung ominously in the misty air as they sunk in to the rest of the party.

He was right. They were so focused on the temple, they forgot about keeping an eye on their surroundings. After Yu pointed it out, Jade definitely felt as if there were eyes watching close by.

Then, a piercing clap originating behind the stone pillars lining the street, confirmed Yu's words.

A lone figure emerged from the pillars. A girl with short fiery red hair, blood red uniform, and an oversized coat hanging from her shoulders. Jade's eyes widen as she recognized this girl.

"Joker."

A wide smile touched the red haired girl's lips at the mention of her pseudonym. It was the same amicable grin she gave back when they first met, but in this situation, with the foreboding atmosphere, it felt more like sadistic glee.

"It looks like we've been found out."

She stopped clapping and signalled behind her. Three other figured materialized from the mist. To no one's surprise, they were the other members of the Royal Flush.

"Pardon for my lady's sudden intrusion."

"Oho, a familiar sight. Perhaps the red string of fate intertwined us after all."

"..."

Each of the new members gave their own short quip, but all were calm and relaxed, unlike Jade and her team who stood tense with their hands at their weapons.

"Please, no need to be so jumpy."

Joker's attempt to defuse the situation fell on deaf ears, which caused her to grumble and roll her eyes. Then, she tried again, but with a different approach.

"If you are here for the lock, I can tell you it's not in the temple."

Jade eyed her in suspicious, but she found no reason for her to lie. However, for her to reveal that information has a far more foreboding implication.

"You have the same clue, don't you?"

"Oh, whatever gave you that idea?"

"..."

Jade was about to answer, but hastily clenched her teeth to prevent herself from answering such a blatant rhetorical question, which amused Joker. Not wanting to humor Joker any more than necessary (after all they are in the middle of a exam where time matters), she fired back with a rhetorical question of her own.

"And you know where it is?"

To that, Joker gave a smug smile.

"Wait just a moment. It should be coming around real soon."

Jade was confused by her statement and, by the expression of her comrades, they were too. It wasn't until a moment later, when she felt a subtle shift in the wind, a steady methodical pulse, that alerted her to the true meaning of Joker's words.

Suddenly, a large shape passed over the sun, darkening the sky as if time had moved several hours in a blink of an eye. A winged beast, black as night, flew overhead, with its long feathery wings stretched wide and body pointed straight as an arrow, a majestic yet terrifying sight. As it soar past, the beat of its mighty wings sent torrents of wind blasting down upon the helpless land dwellers, causing them to raise their arms to shield themselves from the assault. There was only one such Grimm that commandeered the skies with such swagger. It was none other than a Nevermore.

That's it! That was the missing part of the riddle, Jade thought as the pieces fell together in her head. But what does a Nevermore have to do with the lock they were seeking?

Luckily, the Nevermore had not realize there was company, as it is lazily circling the temple ruins, which allowed Jade spy a strange device chained across its chest despite the height at which it flew. She turned back and gave Joker a questioning look, asking for some confirmation of her suspicion, to which Joker only gave a wider smile.

"So, now that you're all caught up, what will you do?"

That was the dilemma. Jade held the assumption that the lock was at a static location, not circling above them attached to a highly mobile, much less dangerous, Grimm. This situation is far outside her expertise - not that she had experience in anything she's done today - and she was racked with doubt on how to proceed. She turned to her team, hoping they might have some insight on their situation, but it was immediately clear that no one had an answer ready.

Diamon in particular seemed just as troubled as Jade on their dilemma by his facial expression.

"Do we deal with the team in front of us? Or do we bypass them?" He mumbled to himself with clenched teeth and furrowed brows. He appeared at the cusp of hysteria trying to come up with an answer to his own question, but failing.

However, it was Yu who made the first move.

"If an obstacle stands in your way, then get rid of it."

He drew his bow, a bolt of energy primed, and pointed it at the group of four standing before him. But, while most people might go on the defensive when a weapon was trained on them, Joker nor any of her teammates moved a muscle.

"Haha, I like this one, he's got spunk!" Ace gave a hearty laugh. Out of all of his teammate, he was the most amused at the situation. "But I have to tell you, this obstacle here won't be budging!"

Yu's eyebrow twitched, from anger or from annoyance it was hard to tell, before letting his arrow fly. It flew straight at the cocky smile of Ace, but it never met its target. Halfway down its path, it was intercepted by another energy bolt, similar in shape but shorter, fired from a crossbow that suddenly appeared in Ace's hands. There was a bright spark as the projectiles struck, not dead on but grazing each other, causing the both to veer off course. A few more shot were fired but were met with the same result.

"Heh, you've made your choices." Joker laughed as she snapped her fingers. "I guess it's time to for us to make ours."

From there, everything happened in a blur. Joker's team all moved at once. The big hulking Kingsly took out what looked like a giant engine with two long muzzles extending out like some sort of cannon. However, it didn't remain like that for long as it transformed into a cross between a glaive and a hammer, with the engine section forming the head of the hammer. As this was happening, Queen nimbly leapt into the air, doing a few summersault along the way, before landing on the head of Kingsly hammer-glaive which he held up like a platform. Despite the extra weight, Kingsly appeared completely fine and revved his weapon. The engines made a loud boom as flames started spurting from its exhaust pipes. They burst out like mini explosion but the flames quickly turned blue and the noise transitioned from loud thuds to a soft hum.

"Raaaaaaagh!" With a bit of exertion, Kingsly swung his hammer-glaive wide, Queen perfectly balance at the head, and aimed at the circling Grimm. After a rotation, he launched Queen towards the Nevermore like a lacrosse ball, the force of the throw causing a sonic boom.

The shockwave from his throw assaulted Jade's sense, the blast stinging her eyes and ringing her ears, but it was enough of a shock to bring her back to senses. As the adrenaline started to kick in, she felt the world around her slow. Her blood start flowing, her body started warm, and she felt every beat of her heart. And with it came this moment of mental acuity where she could perceive everything happening around her crystal clearly. The energy bolts flying from Yu and Ace's weapons. The soaring figure of Queen. The battle stance of the remaining fighters. She noticed all this in a single moment in time as if viewing a realistic diorama.

This feeling. It wasn't an unfamiliar feeling, but it was difficult to describe. There was something about this state she was in, something nostalgic. But as she took a breathe and the frozen figures around her start to slowly move again, she knew there was no time to be dazed like that. There was a battle happening and they need to do something.

"Amy! Fly!" It was all Jade could get out. There was not time to give detailed instructions. They lost the initiative and had to react.

Luckily, after an astonished pause, Amy was able to decipher Jade's command and a big grin crossed her face.

"Diamon! Shields up!" From Jade's command, Amy issued her own.

Normally, Diamon would question anything Amy ask of him, but considering the gravity of the situation, he chose to shut up and do as she says.

Diamon got on his knees and brought his energy shields up while Amy leapt into the air, doing a few somersaults along the way. As she twist in the air, her clothes turned into light and rearranged itself around her. Gone were her frilly dress and in its place appeared the fairy-like garb she wore when she first appeared before Jade. She landed lightly on the shield, almost as if she weight nothing, at which point the shield then glowed brightly as energy overflowed into it. Then, Diamon thrust his shield in the Nevermore's direction, a pulsating blast radiating from it, which launched Amy skyward, a trail of glittering sparkle in her wake. As she flew, Ace did not miss the opportunity to intercept Amy with a few energy bolt, but just as he had blocked Yu's shots, Yu counter each shot he fired, much to his chagrin.

A sudden shriek from the Nevermore signalled to the teams that it had finally noticed that it was not alone, whether from seeing the approaching Amy or from Queen landing, and started moving towards the forest, descending as it goes.

"We need to chase after it!" Jade cried as she started running back to the forest. Yu and Diamon quickly followed behind, but so did the rest of the Royal Flush. While they did have a slight head start, it quickly became apparent that Joker's team was faster.

"Diamon! Send me up like you did with Amy!" In this race to the Nevermore, whichever team can get more hands on the lock around its chest will have the advantage. Since, it was clear that they will lose a footrace, Jade made a desperate call. If they could get someone there before Joker, they may have a chance. However, having herself be launched would be dangerous as she had no way to control her flight path like Amy nor does she have a landing strategy, as evident after being launch from the cliff, so if she can't reach the Nevermore, it won't end well for her. But if she couldn't send Yu as he was the only one capable of blocking Ace's shot against the defenseless flier.

Amy slowed her run and jumped into the air, legs tucked, ready to step on Diamon's shield. Diamon did not miss this cue and made a short hop to get his shield centered on the sole of Jade's feet. As the two made contact, the shield pulsed brightly again and Jade was launched forward with great speed. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed an object flying at her, Ace's bolt she presumed, and prayed that Yu would block it in time, but as it got closer, she realized it was something else entirely.

"Oh no you don't!" The flying object was actually Joker, who had a sudden burst of speed, and used a stone pillar as a springboard to launch herself at Jade.

Yu was too shocked to react as Joker grappled Jade mid-air and the two went tumbling into the forest.

"Jade!"

Yu attempted to follow her sister path but was stopped by a wall of flame that suddenly sprang in front of him.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ace's snide jeer cut through the roar of the inferno. He was now perched on top of a stone pillar while his partner Kingsly stood below him, his large hammer-glaive partially buried in the dirt, the origin of the fiery wall. "Joker wanted some 'alone time' with your friend so we're gonna make sure she gets it."

Yu cursed as he looked around for another way through. Besides the wall of flame in front of them, they were still in an open area where they can go in whichever direction they choose. The fire wall didn't go very far and it wouldn't take that long to get around it. Even then, they still could risk jumping through the flames and take some damage to their aura. Confident that there were plenty of options to elude the pair he called back to Ace.

"You really think you can keep us here?"

"Perhaps."

Yu couldn't tell if he was joking or serious. He wore that snide smile of his like a mask, unmoving and unreadable, preventing any attempt to read his thoughts. A true poker face.

Just as an extra precaution, he scanned his surrounding again, but nothing stood out as out of the ordinary except for the wall of fire, which was now slowly dying. He turned to Diamon, who also gave their surrounding a good look, shook his head, unable to pinpoint any traps that might await them. The only danger would be projectiles from Ace or ranged attacks like the wall of fire from Kingsly, but as long as they cover their rear, there was no possible those two could stop them from just running the other way.

Giving a curt nod to Diamon as a signal to go, the two started running away from Ace and Kingsly, all the while being wary of attack that might come at them. They managed to cover a few yards before Yu heard two blast, presumably Ace's crossbows. He pointed his bow behind him, ready to intercept the projectiles, but to his surprise, there were none. What shocked him more was that a bolt suddenly flew in front of him from his immediate left and another bolt came from Diamon's right. The two bolt collided and formed a massive shockwave that blew Yu and Diamon off their feet. They tumbled for a bit before rolling to a crouched position.

Yu faced Ace to figure out what happened and noticed he held two crossbow in hand, a large and a small one, that were pointed not at them, but were held outstretched in opposite directions.

Does he have the ability to arc his bolts? Ace frantically tried to piece together the method Ace used to hit them at such an angle. No, he would have noticed the path of the projectiles if that was the case. Then, teleportation? Possible.

However, at that point, he noticed something was wrong.

"Where's Kingsly?"

He looked left and right, but could not spot the large blonde man.

"Above us!"

Diamon's cry alerted him to the one direction he failed to check, and he strained his neck back to see the figure of Kingsly, his weapon held high belching flames from its head, as he hurtle towards them at an incredible speed.

Yu dove out of the way to avoid the attack, but Diamon held his ground, raising his shield to meet it. Hammer and shield made contact, causing an ear splitting screeching sound and spewing flames in all direction. The fire danced around Diamon, licking at his limbs, but were unable to make contact, only arcing closely around him as if he was surrounded by an invisible bubble. The force of the hammer only brought Diamon to his knees, a testament of how durable he was given that such force could easily flatten a normal person, but he wasn't planning on taking the entire brunt of the attack.

As the hammer slowly sank on him, he angled his shield to the side and, with the help of an energy blast from his shield, threw his opponent away. Taking this opportunity, Yu attempted to strike at the vulnerable Kingsly, but his progress was halted by energy bolts from Ace.

Not like he could have landed his attack anyways, as Kingsly was still in control of his movement. He drove his hammer into the ground to stop his fall then immediately swung it around, transforming as it goes, and directed it at the numbed Diamon, now a flamethrower with its nozzle glowing red, ready to let loose a torrent of flames. If Diamon doesn't do something fast, he won't be walking away with just a sunburn.

"Yu get behind me!" Diamon shouted as he tapped the cross shaped diamond on his shield gauntlet. Yu, with no other options available, jumped behind him hoping whatever he had in mind works.

Diamon's shield disappeared, but in its place, his entire body started glowing white. Kingsly's flamethrower let loose a large spray of flames, it growing in size as it rapidly approach the pair, but before the fire engulfs them, Diamon slams his fist into the ground and a barrier, a curved translucent wall that looked like half of a dome, materialized in front of the flame.

 _Fwump!_ The energy barrier blocked the flames, parting the river of fire and creating a tear shaped island safe from the blazing torrent.

However, while they avoided the fire, it was the least of their troubles. The smell of gasoline and charred foliage filled their nose. Their lungs burning, unable to obtain air as the flames greedily ate it up. And their vision clouded, as sweat poured over their eyes and heat waves distorted their surroundings. The oppressiveness of their situation was slowly causing them to lose consciousness.

Realizing that nothing happens soon, they will pass out, Diamon sluggishly reached for the underside of his gauntlet, his left arm feeling like lead as he moved, and pulled out a blue gem.

"Oh, merciful Sapphire, relieve us from heated woes!" Diamon prayed as he dropped the sapphire. Nothing happened as the blue gem fell, but the moment it touched the ground, white mist started to expand from the point of contact.

Suddenly, the heat didn't feel so bad anymore. In fact, not only was it disappearing, it was getting awfully cold. The white mist washed over Yu and he soon realized that it was forming frost as it expanded. The mist then made contact with the flame, causing an explosive reaction as their surrounding was filled with steam. The fire sputtered and died, replaced by a thick, cold fog.

Relieved from the heat, Diamon tiredly stood from his crouched position and let out a huge relaxed sigh.

However, Yu knew better than to relax. He suddenly rushed in front of Diamon, his weapon in its melee form, and made a wide swing in front of him.

 _Tink! Tink!_

Two energy bolts, aimed at Diamon suddenly veered off course and disappeared further into the mist.

"Wha…" Diamon barely got a word out as Yu grabbed his collar and repositioned him in front of him. More energy bolts flew through the mist from the opposite direction, but Yu accurately struck them away just as he did before.

Annoyed, Yu drew a physical arrow from the small quiver at his hip. He nocked the arrow and pulled back, the tip disappearing inside the revolver mechanism above where his hand held the base. The revolver spun, going through myriads of colors before landing on green. Then, he pointed his bow straight up and let the arrow loose.

The arrow shot through the mist, carrying with it a massive amount of air pressure, causing the mist to first scatter before following in its path. This did not completely remove the fog, but it did thin it to the point where the figures of Ace and Kingsly can be spotted a short distance away.

"Oh, I see you both made it in one piece." Ace snickered as he lounged lazily against the stone protruding from his high perch. "Funny, I swore my shot were on mark. Either I miscalculated or you're really lucky. I'm betting its the latter..."

Before Ace could say anymore, Yu fired a shot at him. But with a lazy flick of his left hand, he countered it with a shot from his hand crossbow.

"Well, that was awfully rude. Attacking while I'm still talking."

"If you aren't going to say anything useful, then shut up. I don't need more pointless chatter today."

"Hey, that's a bit harsh, don't you think?" Diamon mumbled after realizing that Yu was indirectly insulting him. Yu merely gave a cold shrug, which Diamon reluctantly accepted since this might be the closest form of apology he's going to get from him.

Ace, on the other hand, ignored Yu and continue to speak.

"So, what do you think? You want to try running again? Cuz I assure you, the result will be the same."

Yu pondered the idea, but like he said, the same thing may happen again. As long as he wasn't hundred percent sure how Ace could get his arrows to come at them from different angles, it could be his weapons ability or his Semblance, its as if Ace had surrounded them with theoretical version of himself. And if running isn't an option…

"...then I guess we just have to take you out first."

"Right," Diamon agreed as he prepared his shield. "You may be trying to keep us seperated, but the same could be said to you. If we defeat you here, then our team has the upper hand once we regroup."

"Hahaha, well said. But..." Ace applauded as he burst into a hearty laugh. However, his posture suggests his complete confidence in his abilities. "I don't think you are a match for me."

"Says the guy wearing an eyepatch." Yu retort back.

"Oh, this?" Ace runs the end of his large crossbow against the strip that constitutes his eyepatch. Then, he got into a dramatic pose, his chest jutted forward and his head tilted back like pompous aristocrat. "You should be thankful I shroud my right eye behind the cloth. For it seals a vast and terrible power that will bring ruin to all who bear witness to its majesty."

Yu and Diamon looked on in confusion at his theatrics, but maintain their guard. Ace continues.

"So don't you worry. Even with such a handicap, you won't be able to keep up with me."

"I think you underestimate my abilities."

"And you mine." Ace then held aloft his two crossbows first raising the smaller one then the larger. "I will have you know, with my crossbow Cu and Chulainn, I have never, NEVER, missed my target."

"What a coincidence," Yu snarled back. "Neither have I."

"Such bravado. I like it." Ace gave a sadistic chuckle as he licked his lips. "And it will be much more satisfying when I turn that tough confident expression of yours into one of despair..."

With that he brought his crossbow to the ready. In response, everyone else held their weapons up. Yu pulled back the strings of his bow letting an energy arrow form. Diamon brought out his normal energy shield, his eyes darting his surroundings ready to block Ace's shots, wherever it may come from. And Kingsly transformed his weapon back to the hammer-glaive and rest it menacingly on his shoulders.

"...but enough of the chit chat. It's time for our weapons to the the talking!"


	8. Chapter 5-2

Jade crashed hard against the grassy ground with Joker clinging tightly on her collar. The two created a trail of loose dirt as they skid through the grass, kicking up chunks of green and brown as they go. Soon, the friction slowed their momentum enough for Jade to push off the ground and throw Joker off. Both Huntswoman tumbled briefly before rolling into a defensive position, their movement synchronous as if reflection on a mirror.

"Owww…" Jade moaned as she rubbed her shoulders. Her Aura may have dulled most of the impact, but that doesn't mean she didn't feel anything. Painful throbs assaulted the side of her body that slid through the mud.

"Sorry. But there was no way that landing was gonna be smooth." As opposed to Jade, Joker stood spry like a cat and stretched her limbs enthusiastically. "Saw an opportunity to separate you from the others so I took it. Wasn't very graceful, but hey, it got the job done."

"What do you want from me?"

"Just wanted to talk. Wanted to say a few things to you."

Jade looked at her suspiciously.

"You sure went out of your way just for us to talk."

"Haha, well..." Joker apologetically rubbed the back of her head. "The things I want to say are for your ears only."

"..."

Joker took Jade's silence as willingness to hear her out. Her relaxed, playful demeanor faded away, replaced by a steadfast and resolute expression, as she started to speak.

"I'm sure by this point you are aware of who I am."

"The fact that you are a Royal Flush?"

Joker gave a solemn nod.

"It wasn't my intention to hide who I am from you or anyone. There is a reason, a rather petty one. One that may not even matter in the end, but I still did it… I guess to protect myself."

"Does this apply to your name as well?"

"Yes, my name as well," A small forlorn smile crept up her lips. "Will you forgive me?"

Jade thought about how she should reply. It wasn't wrong that she had a negative reaction when she learned Joker had kept her identity hidden the whole time they were together. But that feeling wasn't one of betrayal.

"You know, I thought I was hurt when I found out who you really were, but the truth of the matter was, we didn't know each other for that long. There was no meaningful connection before we went our separate ways. If anything, it was more regret, regret that I only saw the mask you put on and not who you truly are."

Joker let out a sigh of relief, a burden off her shoulder. However, Jade wasn't finished.

"If that's all you wanted, then let's start over. Reintroduce ourselves. Truthfully this time."

"Ah, of course. That was my intention, but…"

The sudden shift in tone sent a shiver down Jade's spine. It could have been her imagination, but she felt the air changed subtly, leaving an unpleasant ominous feel.

"There is another reason why I wanted to be alone with you. Originally, I wanted to tell you all this after the placement exam, but I changed my mind last night. And this morning, when I noticed you were in the same group, I realized this was the perfect chance."

Jade did not like the way she said that. Something about the way she said that made her think their meeting at the ruins wasn't chance.

"Let's have a duel."

As she said this, she drew the sword resting on her back. It was an odd weapon, consisting of two sections, the blade and gun barrel. The blade was blood red with a curved shape, like a scimitar, with the last few inches of the blade jutted out, almost creating a hook, before conforming back to the curve. It was short, roughly half a meter in length, which was odd as the hilt was barely shorter, a length for two hand to hold comfortably. Then there was the mechanism that resemble a gun chamber, which runs parallel to the blade, just shy of the blades full distance, and was connected to the blade through a series of joints leaving a small gap between the two. While the blade wasn't particularly thick, with the added girth of the chamber, the weapon looked like a massive cleaver.

She stabbed this scary looking weapon into the earth, leaving the sword rooted, its length just above her waist, as she continued to talk.

"There is a saying that we reveal our true nature through combat. That our soul is laid bare through the clashing of blades. I am confident I will understand who you are as a person through this and in turn, you will come to know a little about me."

Jade readied her two fans. She didn't want to fight. She knew that she would be at a huge disadvantage, and there was nothing to gain from this duel. However, given how serious Joker was, she doubted she will accept nothing less. Still, she had to say it.

"I think you overestimate my abilities. If we were to fight, I think the only thing you will learn is how fast you will pummel me."

"Don't worry. I've taken that into account."

Joker pulled her sword from the ground and pointed it at Jade.

"I will only use my weapon, Lunar Fang. No semblance, no other tools. Not only that, if your weapon grazes my skin, it will be your victory."

"What's in it for me?"

"If you win, I will tell you my real name. In fact, I will answer whatever question you have about me...to an extent. But, if I deplete your Aura and you are eliminated from the exam, it will be my victory and you must accept a request of mine."

"And you won't say what that request will be now, I'm assuming?"

Joker shook her head.

"I will reveal it when it is appropriate."

Jade let out a heavy sigh. The conditions Joker set were reasonable, if not extremely in her favor. However, if she was able to give these handicap, it just shows her confidence in her abilities. Compared to her own conflicting feelings, Jade still felt that she won't stand a chance against her. But at this point, there wasn't much point complaining. She could only do what she can and hope for the best.

"Fine, let's fight."

A smile lit Joker's lips and she readied Lunar Fang by her hips, her expression locked in intense concentration.

"One last thing, I have revealed my weapon's name. May I have the honor of knowing the name of the weapon I will be clashing with?"

Jade saw no reason why not. In fact, she didn't see the importance of naming her weapon back when her teacher forged it for her, but he insisted that it should be given a name. She didn't give much thought to it, merely using a derivative of Yu's weapon name.

"It's Zephyr's Edge."

Joker nodded, satisfied. Then, she settled into a stance, finally ready to fight. Almost immediately, Jade felt an explosive shift in the wind. The wind around Joker suddenly turned blood red, swirling angrily like a swarm of bees. It gave off an ominous dark pressure that threatens to suffocate anything around her. Jade had seen many colors of wind, but this was something new. Something dangerous.

As Jade was fighting back against the pressure, Joker made the first move. She kicked off the ground and covered distance between them almost instantly, her sword raised high. It took till the very last second for Jade to react, twisting her body and using Zephyr's Edge, closed and held like daggers, to deflect her strike. She continued to twist her body, spinning all the way around in an attempt to get her own attack in, but Joker got to her faster. She also spun, using the remaining momentum of her deflected attack to hit Jade from the other side. Again, Jade managed to get her up in time to catch the blade, but the force of the blow sent her flying.

Jade twirled in the air, rotating her body to a favorable position before landing gracefully. However, Joker did not relent and leapt up high, driving down on her with an overhead strike. Jade took a step back, just out of the swords reach, and it cut into the ground with a muffled thud. She contemplated using this opportunity attack while Joker was in a vulnerable state, but the miasmic red aura around her made her hesitate, partially out of fear, partially out of indecision.

Meanwhile, Joker did not waste her opportunity. A blast shot from her weapon, knocking her back, and then another shot launched her into the air, swinging her sword around for another overhead.

Again, Jade stepped back to avoid the reach of her weapon, but as Lunar Fang peaked from behind Joker's shoulder, she noticed something odd.

"Wha…"

It was much longer than before, the blade a meter in length. It changed from a cleaver to a full length odachi.

Jade's footing wasn't stable enough to get away from the extended reach of the blade so she lifted her fans in a desperate attempt to parry it.

The blade caught in the cross section of her fans, the sheer force of the blow driving her to her knees, and threatening slip through her fans. Then, Joker's sword retracted, not by pulling it back but the blade returning to its shorter form. As the tip of Lunar Fang scraped against Zephyr's Edge, the barbed point of the sword knocked loose the guard Jade held with her weapon, causing her to stumble forward. When the weapon fully reformed, Joker pointed the blade at Jade, the back side glowing red.

Realizing she's in trouble, Jade ducked into a roll. Just as another blast came from Lunar Edge, causing the blade to extend once more, piercing where her chest would have been. As she tumbled, she unfurled Zephyr's Edge and used her Semblance to whip up a storm of dust to keep Joker away.

And it worked.

Joker stepped back, but instead of waiting for the cloud to dissipate, she made a deft slice with her elongated weapon, bifurcating the cloud and causing it to disperse from the sheer force behind the swing. Then, she settled into another stance, Lunar Fang held by her cheeks and directed at Jade.

It was now that Jade got a better look at Lunar Fang's other form. As observed before, it had doubled in length, now easily the same height as Joker herself. The gun section remained the same length, making the separation between the two part more distinct and highlights the curve of the blade. With only the change to its length, it gave off a completely different feel. Whereas the cleaver form felt sinister and brutish, this form had a certain refinement to it.

"Well done in keeping up with me thus far," Joker complimented. However, it was laced with a bit of sarcasm. The reason was simple. While, her breathing and posture were relaxed, as if she hadn't done any strenuous activities, Jade's chest softly rose and fell at her heavy breathing. In such a short time, the difference in physical and mental fortitude was already showing.

"Do you wish to give up?"

Joker dangled an out before Jade. The offer was tempting. She didn't ask for this fight nor did she believe her chances of winning were high. So why waste time and effort on something that won't offer anything for her? Any sane person would have accepted it.

But Jade made no indication of forfeiting. She didn't understand why herself. It was something about losing here, to admit defeat before this smug girl before her, that didn't sit well with her. It made her dancer blood stir, a feeling she had not felt since training school. There was a clear distinction between giving up and losing, and if she ended things right now, she felt she will lose more than just this match.

Joker did not miss Jade's defiant gaze.

"It seems you have more resolve than I thought. Very well, then I won't be going easy anymore."

Not sparing a moment longer, Joker charges in with a diagonal slash, her odachi carving through the air in a crescent shape. However, despite what she said, this attack was extremely predictable. That's because, no matter how elegant and clean this attack may be, it was a basic strike anyone who held a sword for more than a day could perform. In fact, it was the kind of attack Jade practice blocking against countless time while training.

Seeing this attack approaching, Jade mentally envision the path of the sword, then selected an appropriate routine to counter the attack.

The sword comes in. Jade brought Zephyr's Edge in its full unfurled glory up while bending low. The blade caught the fan and slid harmlessly over her head. It was that easy.

But Joker wasn't finished. She followed through with a series a slashes, starting simple but progressively getting more complex and faster. Jade did her best to match her, but it was obvious she was getting pushed back.

Jade needed some breathing room and found her opportunity to escape the oppression when Joker went for a wide horizontal cut. As the sword approached, she did a backflip away from Joker, clearing the horizontal slash. As she passed the halfway point of her flip, she threw her fans at her opponent, not expecting it to hit, but to distract her. And as she predicted, Joker easily deflected her fans, causing them to spin away from Joker before making a large turn back to its wielder.

However, during this period of vulnerability, Joker changed stance again. This time holding Lunar Fang by her hips as if preparing to draw a weapon from a sheathe. She pulled back the bolt on her weapon and the blade portion glowed bright red. Then, taking a large step with her dominant foot, she made two slashes in the air, one horizontal, one vertical, creating two arcs of fire that shot towards Jade.

Surprise was Jade's first reaction, but she quickly analyzed the flight path of the fiery slashes approaching her and jumped once more, this time contorting her body so the fire slashes barely miss her limbs. And as she lands, she brought her hands out just in time to catch her weapons that finally returned back.

"Ah, well played," Joker's voice cut through the silence after their little skirmish. "It seems you were trained quite well. You should give yourself a little more credit."

These were her genuine praise and not lip service.

"But I must ask, what is it that brought you here? To Beacon? It is hardly the type of profession a famous dancer would switch to."

Jade winced. The same unavoidable question again. She felt a little uneasy to give the same answer over and over again, especially now, in the middle of a fight, but it was all she's willing to say on the matter.

However, before she could answer, Joker came in close with an attack, one that hardly had any force behind it, which was easily parried, but Joker used this opportunity to get close to Jade's face.

"Are you going to say it's for your brother? To protect him in his journey, or something like that?"

Jade's eyes widened as she leapt away. How did she know that? A guess? No, in the first place, she only told her that she was a dancer, but never her said she was famous or anything. Then, that only means one thing.

"You eavesdropped last night." She stated this matter-of-factly. There was no other way she could have gotten this information.

"Eavesdropping seems like a harsh word," Joker did not deny it, but she did not dwell on it for long as to prevent Jade from changing the subject. "But I am correct, right?"

Jade nodded meekly. It was a vast generalization of her situation, but that was the gist of it.

"You're not wrong… but…"

"But..?"

"I didn't just come here just follow around my brother!" Jade suddenly yelled, surprising herself. She took a brief pause before continuing in a quieter tone. "If you heard me then you would know. I wanted to get stronger so I don't feel like I'm so useless. So that I can at least stand by Yu's side and protect those who are close to me!"

"Fighting for others, huh? If that was the case, it would be a noble cause," Joker said softly, tipping her cap to cover her eyes. "Perhaps I should word things differently."

She then started pacing with her weapon draped on her shoulder, ignoring the confused look on Jade, and recalled a memory from her past.

"In my household we live by a certain code. It is a code past down by my predecessor, way back in the time of hunters. It goes something like this: ' _We are Hunters. The Defender of the Weak, the Protectors of the Peace, and the Light that shine through the Darkness. No matter the odds, no matter the cost, we will make the necessary sacrifice to ensure a brighter future.'_ "

A hint of recognition flashed across Jade face. It was because the mantra sounded somewhat familiar. She never heard this phrase before, but she recalled when Joker first introduced herself, she said something similar. But Joker continued on.

"I lived my life according to the code. It is my path and my destination. To be that defender of the weak. The protector of the peace. And the Light against the darkness. While the age of hunters are over, the ideals set by them lives on in Huntsmen today and I came here because becoming a Huntsmen allows me to be who I always wanted to be. Now I ask you…"

Joker made a grand gesture, putting emphasize on their surroundings.

"What is it that you want? Will being at Beacon get you to the future you seek? Can you tell me that?"

Jade was about to yell 'To be a Huntsman, of course!' but the words caught in her throat. It should have been the default answer, but Jade became unsure of herself after listening. The part about coming here to be stronger for herself and her brother, that wasn't a lie. Yet, she never considered her prospect after graduating. Will she continue following her brother if he became a Huntsman? Is that what she even wanted? What did she even want? These question ate away at her thoughts.

Joker witnessed her pathetic state and let out a regretful sigh.

"If you can't answer, then it looks like I will have to show it to you."

She raised her weapon and went into the same stance as before, the one where she held it near her cheeks, then proceeded to rush in with the same diagonal slash. Jade prepared herself for Joker's attack, readying the same maneuver to avoid the attack.

The sword swings in, the same as before, and Jade raised her fan to meet it, but at the last moment, she twisted the blade away, a feint, and drove her knees into the pits of her exposed stomach. Jade doubled back in pain, her breath knocked out of her from the unexpected blow. However, Joker wasn't finished. She pulled her sword back and made a backhanded swing at Jade, which slammed into her chest and sent her flying several meters.

Jade crashed unceremoniously on the ground, unable to control her body due to the burning pain on her chest. There was no blood, as one might expect from such a heavy sword strike, due to the protection of her Aura, but there was the sensation of life force draining from present. Without needing to check the soft beeping coming from her scroll, she was aware that it was the sensation of her Aura slowly crumbling as it nears the brink of collapse. Her body overexerted itself to defend it from the attack and now she was feeling the exhaustion of her soul desperately trying to produce Aura to protect her.

In a last desperate move, Jade slammed Zephyr's Edge to the ground, kicking up a storm of dust, obscuring herself. When the dust settled, she was gone, leaving Joker standing in the forest, alone.

"Retreating when in a bad situation," Joker shouted, her voice reverberating through the forest. She didn't know where Jade was hiding, but she was certain her voice will reach her. "A wise move. It is usually underappreciated by most."

No reply came, but she wasn't expecting one. As long as Jade could hear, that's all that matter.

She was correct to assume Jade wasn't far away. In fact, hiding in the thick canopy of a nearby tree, huddled behind the trunk, was an exhausted Jade. And she heard every word.

"I think I have gotten a good read on you," Joker continued, making sure to project her voice for Jade. "And I have to say, it was just as I thought."

She twirled Lunar Fang for a bit, using the motion to gather her thoughts before proceeding.

"Let me first point out two issue with your fighting style."

Joker held up two fingers.

"There's two things wrong with it. First, even when I gave plenty of opening for you to attack, you chose to retreat or don't commit to your strikes. And the second, is that you fight too reactively. Your movement may be nimble, but they are predictable. It's like you are reading off a manual, choosing the correct response rather than adapting to the flow of combat, which I find disappointing considering your background. I mean, fighting is just a dance with weapons rather than props. The fundamentals are different, but the principles are similar. What you are doing, however, is just imitating a Huntsman. Making the actions but without a soul."

Joker pointed Lunar Fang in a random direction, then slowly pan it across the trees, stopping for a moment, eerily close to where Jade was hiding, before continuing the motion.

"You are lost, rushing forward with no plan. You swing your blade without conviction, you move without purpose. Unsure of everything you do. It is unsightly."

Jade wanted to deny her so badly. She wanted to scream that she was wrong. However, even if she didn't like Joker's judgement of her, somewhere in the back of her mind, Jade knew she was correct. When she was accepted into Beacon, she didn't know if she had the right to be here. When she wanted to train as a huntress, she didn't know if it was the right choice to make. Ever since she returned home to her razed home, she was unsure about a lot of things. But she hid her insecurities, choosing to focus on things as they come, mainly revolving around her brother. So she wasn't wrong when she said she came to Beacon to grow stronger. But neither was Joker.

"Remember the request I asked of you earlier?" Joker continued. Her expression was grave and the heavy aura around her grew. "If you were to lose, my request was that you drop out of Beacon. I don't know how you got this far, but if you continue with this attitude, then there is no place for you here."

Joker's words were piercing. They say words cannot hurt, but at this moment, Jade couldn't tell if the thumping pain in her chest were from Joker's words or her blade.

"Do you deny anything I said? Was I wrong about you? If so this is your last chance."

Jade did want to say something, but her rationality stopped her. She was still in a duel with Joker, so if she were to speak up, even if she could prove how serious she was about being at Beacon, she would immediately lose the duel and must accept Joker's request. However,not saying anything itself is an admittance of defeat as it would mean Joker's word had merit and she wasn't fit to be here. Either way, she loses.

However, Joker did not give much time for Jade to decide.

"I have said my piece. This duel has drawn on long enough. It's time to end it."

With that said, she held Lunar Fang high, her elbows arched to match the subtle bend of the blade. She leaned her body back and stretched her right foot forward, forming a curve in her body. From a certain angle, her new stance resembled a crescent moon with the tip of her weapon starting the concave curve that ended at her foot. The heavy oppressive wind Joker displayed when the duel first started came back in greater force, affecting Jade even with her further away and hidden behind a tree.

Not only could Jade feel it, she sees it as well. Dark red tendril that slowly snaked around the trees and shrubbery, as if probing its environment.

"This is my ultimate move. Prepare yourself."

With her declaration, the air suddenly grew hot and violent. The wind started swirling, causing the trees to shake in response. In Jade's eyes, it was as if Joker dyed the entire area red with her wind to the point that it felt as if she was in hell. Whatever Joker was about to do, it was going to be big. So she did the only thing she could do and braced herself.

The moment drew closer and Jade waited for it to end, when suddenly everything grew dark. Dark as if something covered up the sun. Out of instinct, Jade tilted her head towards the sky and her eyes widened in shock.

"LOOK OUT!"

Jade, who had not said a word since she hid, chose now of all times to reveal herself. There was no reason, just pure instinctual cry. Joker, hearing the alarm in her voice, gazed up and saw countless of razor sharp feathers raining down.

"Tsk." Joker's countenance twisted in annoyance as she turned to direct her attack at the onslaught. One look at all the feathers, one may think a sword won't be enough to deflect them all, but Joker was unphased as she unleashed her full power against blanket of dark feathers. A red wave shot from her sword, striking all the feathers that aimed at her and scattering them like bowling pins.

However, that was not enough as a few strangling feathers came at Joker after the main way. Joke readied her blade to block it, but at the last moment, a chakram cut the feather and it fell lifelessly. Joker turned in the direction of the chakram to see an out of breath Jade perched on top of a tree, then looked towards the sky at the angrily flapping Nevermore. Then, the heavy wind subsided, the red tint faded, and Joker expression turned cheery once more.

"Well, someone spoiled the party."

Just like that the once suffocating atmosphere from their duel dissipated as if a distant dream.

At that moment, Joker noticed a fairy-like girl drifting towards her from the sky.

"Jade!"

The familiar voice of Amy rang across the sky as she tackled Jade with a hug, knocking her out of the tree. Thankfully, with Amy's flight, they were able to glide safely to the ground.

"Amy, what are you doing here? What happened?"

Amy tossed the green stone back to Jade as she rubbed the back of her head while sticking her tongue out, embarrassed but somehow jovial.

"Funny story, turns out whatever that harness thing on the Nevermore is, it's inverted. So if we want to finish this exam, we gotta kill that thing. Buuuuut, I kinda got distracted with that girl Queen and we ended up...well, 'separated' from the Nevermore and now here we are."

"It is as she says." A sudden voice spoke out, seemingly out of nowhere, but was quickly identified as Queen's when she suddenly materialized by Joker's side in a kneeling position. "If we want to end the exam we have to deal with it."

"Hmmm, sounds troublesome," Joker contemplated with hand on her chin.

She examine the circling Nevermore to figure out the next course of action, when another sound caught her attention. It was the sound of heavy footsteps, two pairs to be exact. From behind a thick patch of bushes, Yu and Diamon emerged, a bit haggard and a limp in their steps. The pair were surprised to meet with the rest of the team, but when they noticed Joker and Queen, they suddenly went defensive.

Joker noticed this and gave a cheery wave.

"More guest, huh. Well, I guess that's it for our little 'alone' time."

She gave Jade a cheerful smile, but she shirked back instead, the memory of their 'alone time' as she puts it gave her chills.

"If the two of you are here, then…"

"Ah, it looks like my audience has all gathered for my grand entrance."

Before she finish her sentence Ace emerged perched on a tree branch, standing in a heroic pose while Kingsly casually strolled out from behind a tree trunk below him. Jade noticed Ace's appearance earned a venomous glare from Yu, which made her wonder what Ace did to earn such a rare emotional response from her brother. Joker, on the other, rolled her eyes and waited for the last two members to get closer before speaking to them.

"I wish I had a little more time, but I guess I got what I came for. What about you?"

"Me? While you were doing your thing, I was thoroughly enjoying myself," Ace spoke, happily reminiscing about something that happened only a few minutes ago. "It's been a while since I had so much fun, but sadly, my entertainment had to run off at the best part."

Ace gave an exaggerated sorrowful look in Yu's direction, which caused visible veins to pop on his head. Joker also looked upset at Ace's words, but did nothing to intervene. Yu tried to stand straight to confront him, but a sharp pain in his side caused him to hunch back. Diamon instinctively went to help him, but Yu pushed him away and fiercely gazed at the playful silver-haired boy.

"You think we are a joke to you?" Yu spat back, shocking Jade with this sudden passionate outburst. "That this is all just fun and games?"

Ace shrugged indifferently, which only serve to fuel Yu's anger. He gritted his teeth and balled his fist until the knuckles turned white. The wind suddenly died down and the air grew colder. Jade felt a sense of deja vu, one that filled her with a sense of dread, as she looked upon Yu. The green aura around Yu grew darker and slivers of black started to materialize. This feeling, this aura, it reminded her of how his brother was when she returned home two years ago. Seeing it again, here, reminded her why she decided to become a huntress.

Incidentally, Joker also noticed this change. She narrowed her eyes and gave Ace a sharp look, as if seeking some form of answer for his action, to which he only shrugged again. Then, without attracting any attention, she quietly shifted her grip on Lunar Fang, readying her weapons, as her eyes gaze upward towards the Nevermore, who hung suspiciously still in the sky.

"You are strong, I will give you that," Yu spoke, his voice much quieter but still seething with anger.

"But you have no reason to make light of our reason to be here. I have given my blood and sweat, sacrificed everything so that I can fight back against the Grimm, to take back what they stole."

Jade winced at the mention of their sad past.

"And the last thing I need someone so flippant like you to look down on me like a toy. So take back what you said or else…"

"Or else, what? Make me regret it?" Ace retaliate, his expression more serious than before. Having lost his momentum, Yu was lost for words. "Let me fill you in on something. The only thing that matters here is strength. If you have power, then you can accomplish whatever you wish. Your 'effort' may have gotten you this far, but now that you are facing me..."

Ace gave a wicked grin while giving a thumbs down.

"It's worthless."

That was the final straw. Yu clutched his weapon tightly, preparing to swing. At the same time, Joker, despite wanting to hit Ace herself, ready her blade to block Yu's approach. However, just as Yu was about to take the first step, a slim hand reached out and grasp the hem of his sleeves.

A light pain assaulted the back of Jade's mind as she clutched Yu's sleeves, pouring a little bit of her aura to Yu through that connection. Her grip was light, easily broken by a simple swing of an arm, but the moment she touched him, he froze with an expression of shock as if a sudden veil was lifted off him. He looked back at Jade, a bit confounded, but the heated demeanor was mostly abated. Likewise, the darkening wind around him seem to disappear with his pacified aggression. When it was all gone, Jade gave a weak smile before her knees gave way and collapsed. Instinctively, Yu quickly caught her sister before she fell all the way.

Joker also relaxed her grip and watch the interaction with more than simple curiosity. She glowered at Ace, but he avoided eye contact to hide his intentions.

As the situation died down, it was Diamon who spoke first. He stepped forward, standing in front of the pair of siblings with an arm out as if protecting them.

"Yu is correct, as much as I hate to admit it. You say that strength is the end all, be all but that may not be the case for all of us. We have our different circumstances that led us here, but we aren't all looking to get stronger. We only seek what is necessary to accomplish the goal we set out for ourselves. Some…"

Diamon turns to look at Yu, who hid his face.

"...some seek power so they can fight against the threats to our world. But to me, as well as many others, that is a secondary concern. If it will help us in our pursuit in life, then so be it, but otherwise, I don't give a damn. So, just because we were no match for you, doesn't mean our efforts are worthless."

Amy nodded emphatically in the background at his words. He then turned to his teammates, looking directly at Yu specifically and reached his hand out to him.

"I don't know much about your circumstances, but from what I have seen, your efforts certainly were not in vain."

Yu gaze at Diamon's outstretched hand. A hint of surprise showed on his face before he quickly turned away with a click of his tongue as he tried to hide his embarrassment to be put on the spot like this.

"Bravo, well said." Joker's loud clap echoed in the air. "The hard work you already put in is certainly not wasted if you have a direction to guide it, am I getting that right?"

Her words may be directed at everyone, but her eyes were focused on Jade, as if those words were meant for her.

"While I would love to chat, we are still in an exam." She emphasized her point by directing everyone's attention to the Nevermore, who suddenly had lost interest and was returning to the ruins area.

"Seeing as the only way to get that lock off the Nevermore is to kill it, one of us needs to eliminate the other team before we can claim the prize."

Her foreboding words set everyone back to their fighting stances. However, one person did not respond and remained in a defeated state.

After everything that just happened, Jade couldn't take it anymore. Her mind was in turmoil, her morale was non-existent, and seeing the determination in her team's demeanor truly made her feel that she didn't belong.

 _Why did you come to Beacon?_

 _I don't know anymore._

 _Are you sure this is what you want?_

 _I don't know. I don't know._

 _Then there is no place for you here._

 _Maybe you are right._

The dull aching in her head grew worse as she fell into despair. Her vision become clouded and her surroundings seem to swirl. She felt herself falling into the darkness. Deeper and deeper. But at the very end, she saw a speck of light. And from it the image of an ashen haired man, with small circular spectacle filled her mind.

 _The strength you seek, it already exist, inside of you._

Jade couldn't make sense of the words. My strength. What is it? But as she pondered it another image appeared, this time it was Amy and the words she spoke when they were together echoed in her head.

 _There are many paths one can take at Beacon other than being a Huntsman._

But what is the path she wanted to take?

More and more images and voices appeared one by one, but the most prominent one came from Joker, of all people. Her biting words from their duel echoed in her mind, but this time, it felt more soothing.

 _The hard work you already put in is certainly not wasted if you have a direction to guide it._

But what direction do I go?

 _What is the future that you seek?_

The future I seek...

 _What is it that you want?_

!

Those final words brought a moment of mental acuity. How could she not see it? The answer was in front of her the whole time.

The pain in her head was gone and her fatigue as well. She stood up, proudly and with determination reignited in her eyes. Joker saw this and a knowing smile spread on her lips.

"Wait!"

Jade called out, her voice a little hoarse, but it otherwise reached everyone. They all looked at her in confusion.

"There is another option."

Joker looked at her with amusement.

"Oh? Do tell."

"Why fight each other when we can cooperate to take down the Nevermore. With more hands, it will be an easier fight."

"But what about after? Who will get the lock?"

"Our duel is still active right? After all, I'm still standing."

Joker liked where this was going.

"Let us continue the duel, but with an added victory condition. The moment the Nevermore is defeated, our duel continues. However, whoever catches the lock first will be deemed the winner. How does that sound?"

Joker bursted into laughter after hearing Jade's explanation.

"Hahaha, interesting. I like it. Fine, let's see how this goes. As for the cooperation, do you have something in mind."

This time it was Jade's turn to smile, one that was genuine, which seemed like forever since she had one.

"I have a plan."


	9. Chapter 5-3

The massive Nevermore flew lazily in the sky, stretching its massive wings as if asserting its dominance over the sky. However, despite what appears to be a glorious display of confidence, it was flying in confusion. This Grimm was not native to the forest. Rather, it once resided in the mountainous region north of here, but after an encounter with a group of Huntsmen, it woke up in these unfamiliar ruins with the chain around its neck. It tried several times to escape the forest, but there was something about the forest, a particular stench of fear and pain, that confused its senses and kept luring it back. And so, since its arrival it had circled these ruins, flying back and forth in indecision.

Then, not long ago, a pair of Huntsmen disturbed its flight and broke its eternal meandering. Of course being a Grimm, it had no sense of emotion so any feelings of gratitude or annoyance at the disturbance was non-existent, but the situation did present the large bird with two preys to focus on other than flying aimlessly But even then, mere minutes after engaging with the new targets, the Huntsmen started fighting among themselves and left its field of view. That led it to notice other Huntsmen nearby.

However, that didn't last long either as halfway through its attack a mysterious "sensation" came to it. It felt anger and hate, but not the type that attracted Grimm. It was something entirely different, a sensation that told it to stay away.

And so it did. Back to its endless circling.

However, its respite was short-lived.

A volley of arrows struck its stomach like tiny pincushions. Each individual shot did not hurt but it did annoy it. The Grimm turned its attention to where the arrows came from and saw two humans in the open with weapons pointed at it. With an irate caw, it flexed its massive wings and let loose a storm of razor sharp feathers in retaliation. However, a third human appeared and created a large barrier that blocked its arrow from reaching the two assailants.

Meanwhile on the ground, Yu and Ace raised their weapons, a bow and sniper respectively, and continuously fire at the Nevermore while Diamon maintained the barrier.

"Heh, to think just a few minutes ago we were after each other's throats," Ace scoffed humorously at his companion in between firing shots. "Hope there's no hard feelings."

Yu did not respond, more like he actively attempted to ignore him, and kept his focus on firing arrows.

"But you know what they say, today's enemy is tomorrow's friend. Oh and by the way…"

Ace used the sharp crack of his weapon to separate his words.

"That's sixteen."

Yu paused slightly. There were no changes to his expression, but Ace picked up the tensing in his arm muscles. Then, with a hard pull on his bow, the line of energy on his bow fractured into three and he launched all three into the pit of the Nevermore's stomach. Ace snickered as he got the reaction he wanted and return to his duty.

At this point, the Nevermore cawed angrily at its failed attempt to kill its target and decided to dive at them. Unfortunately for it, that was the whole point of Yu and Ace's assault.

When the Grimm neared the treeline, two new Huntsmen flew out of the trees. It was Amy and Queen. They rushed at the descending bird and struck at its wings, Amy slashing with her spear while Queen raked them with her finger claws. Their attacks were enough redirect the Nevermore's path. As it clumsily tried to maintain its flight after they damaged its wing, it inadvertently tangled itself in a net of transparent wires, cleverly set up by Queen before the whole operation. While it flailed wildy, Amy and Queen peck at the Nevermore whenever an opportunity presented itself. The damage they dealt was minimal, but it was enough for the role they are fulfilling. Yu and Ace's role was to get the Nevermore close. Amy and Queen's role was to distract it once it was close enough and keep it from moving around.

And the reason for all this was…

"It seems your plan is coming along just fine."

Joker commented to Jade, who stood beside her, as she witnessed the events unfolding before her. Jade did not say anything back but kept her focus on the situation at hand. After all, their turn has come up. Joker was fully aware of this, which is why she held her weapon at the ready this whole time, but as the air around her flared up from her aura, she still had some things to say to Jade.

"When we take this Grimm down, are you prepared for what comes after?"

It was a not so subtle hint at the conditions for losing, perhaps to unsettle her or simply to gauge her resolve for the rematch, but either way, Jade steeled herself and readied Zephyr's Edge in its chakram form. She was not the same girl as before. A fire now burned in her eyes that once were dying embers. This was not lost to Joker.

"Whatever happens, I'm ready."

"Hmmph, now that's what I like to hear."

The dark red aura Joker displayed during their duel flared up, threatening to consume Jade at such close proximity. However, this time it didn't feel so malicious as before. It still heavy and suffocating, but at the same time soothing, like the heat of a sauna. Perhaps it was due to the fact that the killing intent wasn't directed at her that made her feel this way, but she had no time to wonder about this. Instead, she took a deep breath and felt the wind violent shifting around Joker.

"Red, powerful and passionate."

It was a quiet whisper. Words meant for herself. And as she said this, she realized this was the true feeling emanating from the mysterious girl before her. It caused the edges of her lips to creep up in a smile.

"If that's the case…"

Jade went into a short dance, with quick feet movement and wide arm swings, which she felt complimented the wind frenetic wind and gathered it into her spinning chakram. Then, using her movement, she generated her own flow of wind which surrounded her like a green veil in a sea of red. She then mixed it with Joker's wind, letting it carry her Aura-imbued wind directly to Joker. Her eyes widened when she felt this foreign energy permeate around her, but it turned to a smile when she discerned the property of this new feeling.

"Here we go!"

The wind condensed around Joker and with a heavy swing, as if dragging an oar through water, she let loose an arc of fire at the distracted Nevermore. At the same time, jade ended her dance with a gaudy flourish. With this attack, she felt a sensation as if her Aura was being sucked towards Joker then up with the blazing projectile

When she looked up at this missile, she saw it as mass of red shooting upwards with a line of green corkscrewing around it. The red mass contorted and formed the head of a wolf, its mouth wide, ready to snap on its prey while her own green wind trailed alongside it like a sparrow. At first the two entities seemed to repel each other as if a magnetic field existed between them, but the distance grew shorter and shorter, and with it the wolf head grew bigger and bigger. Then, just before it reached the Nevermore, the two forces slammed together and contorted into something different entirely. The red and green became to halves of a whole - half wolf, half sparrow - before twisting into a double helix as it slammed into the large Grimm.

In that moment, it was as if the Nevermore suddenly combusted. The attack caused a fiery explosion to erupt from the center of its chest, radiating outward before continuing its path behind it. It's wings consumed in a blazing fury to the point that its feathers were seemingly made of fire. And the string it was entangled in completely evaporated, small streaks of flame revealing them briefly before crumbling into ash. Without any support and a smouldering wing, the Nevermore slowly fell from the sky.

It had been defeated.

Or so it seemed.

Before anyone could celebrate, the Nevermore let out a defiant caw and with a flap of its wings, put out the remainder of the fire on itself with a gust of wind.

"What!? It survived through that?"

Jade was shocked, but it was not like it survived unscathed. Its wings were in literal tatters and parts of its face was melted off. It survived the attack, but was now on the brink of death. It seemed to realize this and attempted to escape.

Jade had hoped this attack will finish it so she didn't have a back up plan if it survived. She racked her brain to figure something out, but thankfully Amy came in for the rescue.

"Don't worry! I can still do something," she cried out as she soared up into the sky. "Diamon! Hand it to me!"

Diamon grumbled, a bit hesitant to do what she asked, but he knew now wasn't the time to be frugal. He ripped a chain off his neck to reveal an amethyst dangling at the end. He whispered a few words, causing it to glow brilliantly purple.

"Catch!" He screamed as he tossed it to Amy.

As if propelled by a magical force, the amethyst shot up like a bullet, quickly reaching Amy in no time. Amy pointed her spear at it, catching the gem in the gap between the spearhead. The spear shifted slightly to secure the gem and suddenly the entire spear head was consumed by purple electrical energy. When this happened, Amy spun her spear in her hand, clutching it in a position to throw it, and directed it towards the escaping beast. She paused in that position briefly with a confused expression, as if pondering something, before smiling.

"EAT THIS! LIGHTNING JAVELIN!"

Once the words left her mouth, she threw her spear. Just like how she named her attack, the spear shot down like a bolt of lighting-purple lightning-that directed itself to the Nevermore's back. As it made contact, there was a thunderous boom and multiple threads of lightning sprouted from the point of contact. Nevermore cried in surprise as it was suddenly being dragged down by the force of the spear.

"Someone finish him off!"

"Hmmph, looks like it's my turn to shine."

The new voice belong to Kingsly who was on the sidelines during the entire operation. With the sudden turn of events, he finally found a moment where he can do something useful. Taking out his flamethrower cannons, he transformed it into the glaive and positioned himself in line with where the Nevermore was falling.

He planted his foot solidly in the ground and took a large breath. His weapon started revving up, spitting out bright blue flames. All the while, the Nevermore was getting closer and closer.

"Raaaargh!"

With a wild roar, he jumped with such force that left a crater in the ground. He spun as he went, using the propulsion from his weapon to wind up his attack. Then, his glaive made contact with the Grimm, the blade cutting deep into the pits of its stomach. With the force of this two-pronged attack, the spear in his back and the glaive at its front, its body was severed in two as if a large pair of scissors came down on it. There was no death cry, no final spasm as it tried to cling to life. Death was instantaneous as the two halves of the bird violently separated and slowly crumbled into black dust. As the torso faded away, the chain that was securely fasten there came loose and an object fell from within.

It was a lock with a depression similar in shape to the gem key Jade held.

Jade turned to Joker and she turned back with a knowing look. This was it. The rematch Jade asked for.

Without a moment's pause, both girls started dashing towards the falling lock. At first, their speed was even, but with the aid of Lunar Fang, Joker was pushing ahead faster that Jade. However, this was within her expectations.

Without slowing her pace, she whipped her chakram in front of her, creating a swath of wind that kicked the dirt into a smokescreen to obscure her from Joker.

"It's useless!" Joker cried, keeping an eye on the wall of dust behind her as she near the lock. "Whatever you have plan behind your shroud, I assure you I can handle."

As if provoked by her words, two spinning disc shot from the dust. Their form was somewhat distorted by the whirling wind surrounding them, but Joker could tell make out they were Jade's fans. They came out at a high angle and appears to approach the lock from above to avoid crossing paths with Joker, but that didn't matter at all.

Lunar Fang grew red and Joker fired two flaming slashes at the fans. Both strikes hit and the fans burst into flames before falling lifelessly to the ground. Then as an added precaution, she shot another one into the wall of dust and disperse the cloud to reveal a stationary Jade staring at her with intense concentration.

Joker was now directly below the falling lock. She looked up to gauge its distance before facing Jade.

"I applaud your effort, you seemed to have changed a bit since we last fought, but it looks like it wasn't enough. It's over, I win."

However, the expression on Jade's face was not one of defeat.

"You asked me before what I wanted to do?" She said, softly but firmly.

Joker tilted her head in confusion.

"Like you said, I was hesitant and unsure that this was the future I sought for myself. I chose to become a Huntress to help my brother, but I thought I had to give up who I was before to get here. But after listening to what you and my team said, I see now that I was wrong."

There was a shift in the wind. Even Joker could feel it. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, wondering what Jade was planning.

"I never answered back to your question before, so I will do so now. I came here so that I can be with my brother, that much isn't a lie. But the thing I wanted to do the most, more than anything else…IS TO DANCE!"

Jade spun gracefully with the flow of the wind while her arms and skirt gently drift with the motion. Joker tried to make out the purpose of this action when an object shot out from the trees off to her right and snatched the lock just before it landed in her hands.

"Wha?"

Joker cried out in surprise as her gaze turned to the object. Carrying the lock, which was adhered to the object by a bubble of wind, was a green disc. More specifically, Zephyr's Edge.

A look of confusion crossed her eyes. She was sure she incinerated them…

Suddenly, her eyes widened in shock and scanned the ground where the two fans she struck down landed. What she saw were definitely fans, but they lay crumbled and blackened, completely destroyed from the fire that consumed them. These were not the metallic fans Jade used as weapons, but normal ones, the ones she used when they first met.

Everything started to piece together. The smokescreen, the extra pair of fans. These were just distractions so Jade could hide the real Zephyr's Edge in the trees. And when she finally let her guard down thinking she won, in comes the chakram and snatch it away from her. Clever trick.

But that was all it was. A trick. A ploy.

It gave Jade the advantage, but as long as she doesn't grasp the lock with her hand, the match was still going. All Joker needed to do was to stop the real weapon.

Joker quickly reloaded her weapon and leapt towards the chakram, intending to strike it down with Lunar Fang. However, as her blade came down on it, the chakram suddenly moved unpredictably, rolling to the side to avoid the blade as if it possessed a life of its own.

"It's useless." Jade called out. She was in an odd pose, her knees crossing and arms splayed at different angles. "I may not be adept at combat, but I assure you I can take whatever you throw at me with my dance."

Joker let out a low snarl, accepting her challenge. She fired a shot a Jade and used the force of the blast to get another swing at the chakram.

However, with eyes closed, Jade saw, no, felt what she needed to do. She did a side flip to avoid the flaming blast coming at her and at the same time, Zephyr's Fang did a roll in time with her movements.

It was as if the two shared a link. The chakram moved to the rhythm of Jade's dance and in return, Jade could feel the surrounding of her weapon. Like two bodies sharing one mind. Just as she stated, whatever Joker tried, whether targeting the chakram or Jade, nothing landed.

Running out of steam, Joker landed on her knees, exhausted, letting the chakram fly that last few meters back to its owner.

Jade had done it. She managed to outsmart Joker and snatched victory from beneath.

She felt a sense of elation. The rushing of blood and the rapid beating of her heart. _So this is what it feels like again,_ she thought as the lock inch closer and closer. This was the feeling a triumph she had long forgotten. That surge of emotion similar to when she first stood in front of an applauding crowd, all telling her the hard work she put in was finally rewarded. All showing that she was needed.

"Interesting! Interesting!"

Jade's moment of euphoria was interrupted by a cackling Joker while having a hand on her left eye.

"You have proven yourself a worthy opponent, but I'm afraid this…"

There was an odd glint in Joker's obscured eye. A glint of something brilliantly bright, a flash of gold. Then, the atmosphere changed.

It was for just a moment. The air became viscous. Jade's body felt ladened, her mind foggy. The environment felt washed out and everything moved slowly. But more importantly, Joker, who was standing casually a short distance away, suddenly vanished.

The moment quickly passed and Joker was suddenly before her, eyes meeting eyes and her arms tightly locked in her hands. With a deft movement, she slung Jade over her shoulder and slammed her into the ground, knocking the air out of her lungs.

Without looking away from Jade, Joker raised her hand and grabbed the lock from the still spinning chakram. The weapon skipped off her arm, causing a small spark in her Aura, before laying to rest besides the gasping Jade.

"...this is still my win."

She fitted her own gem key into the lock. The lock reacted by glowing green before sending a flare into the sky that exploded into a shower drifting sparks.

As Jade watched the spectacle, finally recovered from the shock of being slammed to the ground, the reality of what had just happened began to set in. That feeling of invincibility vanished just like the dying spark of the fireworks and in its place new emotion began to take hold. Her face started to flush red and she masked her eyes to hold back the tears building up. She was so close. After overcoming everything, finding her own path again, and even her first moment of triumph since forever, she finally felt like she belonged here, but to lose all that right at the end, it all felt unfair.

She wanted to scream out, but she suppressed that urge. She accepted this deal. She knew the consequences. It is only right to uphold them.

However, the moment she lifted her arms from her eyes, she was greeted by Joker, smiling warmly with a hand outstretched.

"But, as for our duel, it looks like it's my lost."

Jade laid there, baffled by the words she spoke. She could not comprehend it.

She won? But how? Does that mean she gets to stay?

"But…"

"Hmm, I suppose in a sense we both won and lost," Joker contemplated, completely ignoring the confused Jade before her. A sudden thought popped in her head. She held her hand to Jade to help her up on her feet. "How about a compromise? First my request."

A sense of dread washed over Jade. This was it. The moment where Joker tells her to leave the school. She braced herself for the eventual words to come, but to her surprise, Joker offered her hand to Jade with a warm and inviting smile, vastly juxtaposing the atmosphere she held when they fought.

"My request is...let us be friends."

"Huh?"

A sound of genuine shocked escaped Jade's lips, causing Joker to chuckle at such a cute display, but she continued on.

"Hello, my name is Jaquelyn Hart, but I go by Jaq. And you are?"

Jade looked at the hand, then at the girl, once Joker, now Jaq. There was a hint of innocence and playfulness in that look that suggested this was her plan all along. That everything that happened till now went all according to her plan. Finally accepting the reality before, the last bit of sorrow washed away and a light smile touched her lips as she reached out and accepted Jaq's hand.

"My name is Jade. Jade Evergreen."

"Nice to meet you Jade. I hope we can get along."


	10. Epilogue

"Jaquelyn Hart. Ace Spades. Queen Clubs. Kingsly Diam. The four of you completed the Trial of Green. From this day forward, you will work together in Class A as Team JAQK. Led by… Jaquelyn Hart."

A resounding applause rang through the halls as Ozpin announced the team formation of the four students currently on the stage. The four members of the Royal Flush stood solemnly as they received their designation, while the large screen behind them showed the results of their exam and team name - alongside those already assigned before them - boldly to the large gathering of students below.

It was nearing the evening, the sky plastered a brilliant shade of orange with the sinking sun, marking the end of the day. And what a day it had been. After the end of Jade's exam, they were sent back to the main hall to recuperate from the fatigue and watch the next couple of exam rounds through monitors set up in the room. Each exam had their own ups and downs, but compared to the ordeal that Jade went through, she scarcely had any energy to react to the events unfolding on the screen, which she most likely would have under normal circumstances. Each exam lasted several hours and when they were all completed, everyone was corralled back to the atrium where they find Professor Ozpin standing on the podium exactly where they first met him.

From there, teams after teams were called up, given their teams, and were sent along their way. As each grouping were called, a sense of dread slowly built in her heart. Each name spoken were like needles in her heart, expecting the next to be hers. Hearing the result from the other teams, she felt that her group will rank poorly. After all, they to complete the exam against Jaq and most of the students in the upper class completed the exam, including Jaq who was just called up.

As Jaq accepted Ozpin's congratulations and exited the stage, she turned her head and locked on to Jade's position in the audience. With a cheery smile, she waved at her to which jade responded with a half-hearted one.

The number of students yet to be called was growing thin. And as that gnawing thought crossed her mind…

"Jade Evergreen. Amethyst Kreiss. Yu Evergreen. Diamon Prisma. Please come on the stage."

Glynda Goodwitch's voice, unaided by microphone, called out to the crowd as their respective portrait were shown on the large screen.

Taking a large gulp, Jade extricated herself from the other students and walked on to the stage with the rest of her team following behind her.

Standing before a stage once more gave her a sense of nostalgia of the countless of times she performed on stage, but without her fans in hand, she was like any other shy girl standing before hundreds of people focusing their attention on her. But more importantly, she was getting anxious at what the gray haired headmaster standing before her was about to say.

Ozpin gave each of them of thorough look with a mysterious expression that was hard to read before announcing their results.

"Jade Evergreen. Amethyst Kreiss. Yu Evergreen. Diamon Prisma…"

His voice was deafening under the effects of the speakers.

"The four of you attempted the Trial of Green…"

Jade noticed the different wording compared to Jaq's.

"From this day forward, you will in…"

Jade tightened up, bracing herself for the words that followed.

"Class A as Team JAYD."

An audible gasp escaped Jade's lips at this announcement. Even her teammates held a look of surprise at Ozpin's word. However, the surprise didn't end there.

"Led by Jade Evergreen."

The thunderous applause from the crowd drowned out the "Huh?" Jade leaked out. She must have misheard it. There was no way she would be the team leader. However, a quick glance at her teammates told her she did not misheard as they were all looking at her while applauding.

"Oh my god, congratulations!"

"Hmmm, a bit unexpected, but well deserved."

"..."

Their level of enthusiasm was diverse, but she could tell they were sincere.

"Congratulations," Ozpin continued with a cryptic smile as he gestured them off the stage.

The crowd applauded once more as Jade robotically stepped of the stage, her head in a daze from what just happen. She should be glad to be put into Class A. In fact, she was glad. But, after what happened during the examination, she felt she didn't deserve it. From start to finish, she hardly did anything worth noting and even when she put everything she had in her final confrontation with Jaq, it ended horrendously. Perhaps it was due to the collective efforts of her teammates. Their success might have mitigated her shortcomings, but that doesn't explain why she was chosen as leader.

She continued to ruminate over this dilemma until the ceremony ended, which wasn't too long after their own announcement, and were ushered to their assigned dorms.

However, as she left the main hall, she caught a glimpse of Ozpin entering a tower not so far away. Taking this opportunity to talk with him, Jade addressed her teammates.

"Hey, I just realize I need to drop by somewhere for a bit. You guys go on ahead, I'll meet you guys at the dorm."

Before waiting for a reply, she bolted to the same tower she witnessed the headmaster entered. Inside was a hollow room with a set of winding staircase going all the way to the top and an elevator at the far side. Unsure whether she had access to the elevator, she decided to take the stairs. After all, she assumed the headmaster used to the elevator as there were no signs of anyone on the stairs so it may take a bit for the elevator to return. Despite the long set of stairs, which easily went several stories up, Jade managed to jog all the way to the top without working too much of a sweat thanks to her athletic build and ended up in a small waiting room. The room formed a semi-circle, with a lavish set of double doors located on the flat section of the room. Since there were no other paths during her climb up the stairs, Jade assumed the headmaster would be here.

She gingerly approached the door and knocked, the sharp crack of finger on wood echo softly through the room.

For a moment, there was no answer, but muffled sound of a familiar voice soon came.

"Come in."

Jade gently pushed opened the doors and peeked her head in. What she saw took her breath away.

One look was all she needed to know that this tower was the prominent clock tower at the center of the school. Large twisting gears churned above this large empty room, eerily silent other than a quiet click of turning mechanisms, while another set spun beneath the glass floors. At the far end of the circular room was the top section of the clock itself showing the times between 9 and 3. And in front of the clock face was a large desk, stacked with papers and other odd trinkets, where a man with ashy white hair sat.

Professor Ozpin looked up from whatever sat in front of him and regard Jade calmly, almost as if he was expecting her.

"Ah, Miss Evergreen. For what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?"

Now that he stood in front of the head of this school, in this magnificent office, she started growing cold feet. However, her desire to understand Ozpin's decision to make her team leader overcame her moment of doubt and she steeled herself to speak.

"Um..." she started, far too reticent than she hoped. "I just wanted to ask about...your decision for my team…"

Her voice trailed away as she ushered the last bit of courage to get her words out.

Meanwhile, Ozpin watched this with an amused look on his face.

"Hmm, did you think I made the wrong choice?"

"No!" Jade blurted, but quickly caught herself. "I mean, perhaps…"

Jade shook her head to get her mind clear before speaking again, this time more clearly.

"What I meant to say was, how did we get into Class A when we failed the exam? And why choose me as the leader?"

This earned a chuckle from Ozpin. He got up from his seat and walked around his desk so that he was directly in front of Jade.

"I think you misunderstood something."

Jade tilted her head in confusion.

"First, about your assignment to Class A. If you recall, my exact words were your performance will determine your ranking."

Jade thought back to the time at the cliff. Now that he mentioned it, he did say something like that.

"Whether you complete the trial I set for you does not determine your placements. It is merely one of the many criteria that make up the final judgement. Simply put, I believe you and your team earned your place in Class A in spite of failing the trials, which is a great accomplishment."

"But even then, why pick me as the leader? Out of my entire team, I did the worst. I hardly contributed anything and I was the one who lost it for my team in the end."

"Is that what you believe?"

Ozpin's question took Jade by surprise. She took a moment to reevaluate her actions during the exam and all she could remember was how useless she was. From failing to land properly, to struggling against her first Grimm, to the defeat at the hands of Jaq. Nothing really stood out that would even remotely consider her for a position of leadership.

Ozpin noticed her mental struggle and decided to elaborate.

"It's true your team have things you lack, but the same thing can be said about them. However, what I deem as the quality of a leader isn't based on haves or have nots, but on potential. The potential to grow and become something more."

Jade seemed lost at what Ozpin was getting at, so he decided to change his methods.

"Say, Jade, have you heard of the story about the tortoise and the hare?"

"Yes."

"Can you explain what the story is about?"

"It's about a tortoise who challenged a hare to a race to stop the hare's arrogance about its speed. Thinking there was no chance that the slow-moving tortoise can ever beat him, the hare took a nap halfway through the race. However, the tortoise persisted and managed to beat the hare before it woke up."

"Well said. A classic fairy tale of hubris."

"But what does this story have to do with anything?"

This brought a humorous smile on Ozpin's lip.

"Let me explain. The way I see it, there were four outcomes to the race between the tortoise and the hare."

As if to emphasize his point, he held out four fingers, one for each of his "outcomes."

"One: the story unfolds as it was told. The hare falls asleep and the tortoise defeats the hare.

Two: the expected result. The hare, clearly the faster animal, defeats the tortoise, no competition.

Three. Here's where it gets interesting. The hare falls asleep, but manages to wake up before the tortoise can overcome him.

And four: regardless of what the hare did, the tortoise realized the futility of its actions and gave up.

Of the four scenarios outcomes, in only one does the tortoise beat the hare and yet it was what transpired. Isn't that amazing?"

"But there will be no point to the story otherwise."

"Exactly," Ozpin agreed, the same cryptic smile as before on his lips. He was reaching the point he making and showed it through his body language.

"At Beacon, I have essentially selected a group of tortoises and hares and constantly pitted them against each other in a race to see who will win."

"And I'm assuming I'm one of the tortoises."

"That may be so," Ozpin chuckled. "Especially considering, your opponent during the exam, Jaquelyn Hart, is quite the hare. But whether you are a tortoise or a hare isn't important..."

"If you are trying to say what I think you are trying to say, then I'm afraid it's already over," Jade boldly interrupted the Headmaster of the school. It took a bit but she finally figured out that Professor Ozpin was trying to say a tortoise can beat a hare, but that doesn't work in her case. "I lost already. Jaq beat me in the end. The hare has won."

"But did she though?"

Jade eyed Ozpin curiously, wondering what he was hinting to.

"That assessment was just the beginning, the start of the race. Naturally, the hares will have a head start, but there are still four years before you leave Beacon. Four years for things to change. So let me ask you, what kind of tortoise do you wish to be? Will you be the tortoise that persist onward to defeat the hare, or will you stop here, knowing the futility of the race? From what I have seen today, I can tell you have potential, but it is up to you to decide how this race will end."

Jade lowered her head, thinking. She know understand, if only a little, why Ozpin picked her as the leader. However, because she understood, she now felt the weight of his expectations on her shoulders. A part of her wanted to shrink back from this heavy responsibility, but her mind wandered to that moment when she faced Jaq head-to-head. She recalled the rush of emotions as she lie crumbled on the ground, defeated. It stung. It felt like everything collapsed around her. But at the same time, she felt a sense of staunch competitiveness rise from herself. It was the same feeling she felt when rising in the dancing scene when those above her beat her down, she would stubbornly push back, trying over and over, telling herself "Next time, it'll be different next time." She saw in Jaq a rival, a goal in which she wished to overcome.

And so, regarding Ozpin's question, she gave a resolute gaze back to the professor. Without words shared, Ozpin understood the young woman's determination and smiled back.

"Well it appears you have found your answer. If that is all, please return to your dorm. I'm sure your teammates are eagerly waiting for you."

Their conversation over, Jade left, the shadow of doubt no longer looming over her. As the door closed, Ozpin let out a weak sigh, humorless and self-deprecating, as he walked over to the transparent clock face and looked down upon the school, his school.

"If only I listen to my own advice more often," he muttered softly before returning to his desk.

* * *

Jade quickly descended the tower with renewed vigor. However, as she exited the tower she stopped in her tracks as she was greeted by a surprise. Just outside was the other three members of her team patiently waiting for her. They held an expression of worry, but the moment they saw her exit, their faces lit up in relief. Well, all except for Yu.

"What are you all still doing out here," Jade said in bewilderment.

"Ah well, you see, we originally intended to wait for you at the dorm, but we feel it was more appropriate that we should experience our new school life...together."

It was Diamon who spoke first, but Amy chuckled beside him and continued on.

"Well that and SOMEONE insisted on staying back to wait for you."

"..."

She did not mention names, but it was clear from her line of sight that she meant Yu.

Jade giggled at their interaction. They were starting to sound like a team now.

Amy's face lit up when Jade did that

"So are you all good now?"

"Yes, I am. I'm sorry for making you wait. Come on, let's get going our school life is just getting started."

Everyone nodded in agreement and headed back to the dorm, this time as one. However, before she entered the dorm building, she turned back once more to look at the prominent clock tower, lit brightly against the starless night, and recalled everything that led up to this moment. From the moment she landed, to meeting the mysterious girl name Jaq. To the new friends she made and the tough fight she endured. It had been a rough start to this race, but like Ozpin said, this is just the beginning. There is still much more to this race and she promised herself that she will do everything in her power to push to the finish line, for her brother and herself.

Then, with a graceful bow, as if thanking an applauding audience, she disappeared through the door.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you for reading my story. It's been a long journey to get to this point but I'm glad I finally finished it. This is still a very rough piece of work and there are stuff I want to edit, but this is everything that I had planned to write. While this may be the end, I have a lot more planned for these characters. I don't know when I may get to it, but for now I hope this was enjoyable for you. Again, thank you.**


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